Teachers learn to tackle depression, suicide tendencies among schoolkids

Vinamrata Borwankar,TNN | Aug 9, 2014, MUMBAI: "The best thing in the world, if ever it was to be, it would be no exams, oh! We would feel so free.

Then we would not be forced to study for days all together, without playing with our friends or even enjoying the good weather..."

The lines are from a poem written by 15-year-old Mini Poddar who committed suicide in 2001. According to her father, Mahesh Poddar, she ended her life because she was distraught after not being able to secure admission to a college of her choice. Poddar read out the poem from her diary while addressing a workshop for teachers and principals at Sheth Karamshi Kanji English School, Mulund.

"A day before she ended her life, she showed me her hand and asked me if her lifeline was over but I did not take it seriously. That was the biggest sign that we missed. She had also stopped watching her favourite television show and wasn't eating well," said the father.

National Crime Record Bureau's figures show that as many as 2,471 children committed suicide after failing in examinations in 2013. The numbers are up by almost 10% as compared to the previous year.

Senior psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty said at the workshop, "The common emotional responses by teachers when a child shows signs of suicide is that they feel the child is seeking attention, the student is weak or is trying to manipulate. However, it is most important that the student's mental health is examined to understand the intensity of the thought."

Triggers of suicide could include hopelessness, recent loss of a loved one, shame or humiliation, manipulation or rejection. "The teacher must keep a child optimistic even if he/she hasn't scored well. Teachers must also create an emotional connect with the child so that he/she can come and talk to them when in distress," added Dr Shetty.

Identifying signs of depression among children is very important. "My son had appeared for exams but had self-assessed that he was going to fail and had been very aggressive ever since. One day when we asked him to accompany us to a party he refused. He stayed back home and ended his life. He chose to be aloof. That was a sign," said Anthony Furtado, whose son hanged himself even before the class XII results were out. He had scored 64%.