Daily Times

Haripur University’s Vice Chancellor Dr Shafiqur Rehman’s concern about increased incidences of suicide among students was a well-needed starting point to talk about the role played by unrealistic academic expectations. Research on suicidal ideation is rather limited in Pakistan where mental illnesses are viewed with shame and disgust-the stigma surrounding mental health has prevented these discussions from entering mainstream discourse. The official statistics are hard to determine since suicides often go unreported but anecdotal evidence suggests that suicide is definitely on the rise in Pakistan.

Pakistani students, like other countries in South Asia, experience immense pressure to perform exceptionally at school regardless of the psychological toll it may take; a failure to meet these expectations is typically met with disdain. Since education is so crucial to achieving upward mobility, a failure to perform well academically pushes many into the pitfalls of depression-indeed, unemployment and suicide have always been strongly correlated. Medical students are especially vulnerable to suicide due to the demanding nature of their studies. Overbearing parents certainly don’t help the issue either. If someone chooses to confide in their parents or another caregiver, they are asked to suck it up and repress their feelings; depression is not a luxury most people can afford in Pakistan.

Currently, most students in Pakistan lack access to support systems in the form of mental health counsellors or even a vague sense of community-it is precisely this alienation that drives people to end their lives. When the bond that unites an individual with their group becomes severed, they lose the ability to sustain the pressures that come with life. Most students in Pakistan lack this sense of collective belonging-long hours at school and even longer nights pulling all-nighters for exams means that there’s no time to develop relationships. With no one left to turn to, suicide becomes an appealing option; a depressed person is unable to rationalize why they should continue living. Since students are especially vulnerable to suicidal ideation, it is essential that universities integrate mental health resources into their infrastructure. Depression is a clinical disease that is much more common than we are inclined to assume; it is high time our educational institutions take note of this. *