The poor mental health condition hundreds of lives of young students every year. Still, this is the most neglected area in mental health departments in Pakistan.
Students are suffering from mental health due to many reasons. This can be due to academic burden, bullying, negative thoughts, parents’ separation, toxic relationships, teachers’ ignorance regarding studies or lack of funds to submit the high fees of school, college, and university.
These reasons affect a student’s mental ability, and energy levels. According to research, ninety percent of suicides are due to mental disorders. Mental health discussion should be mainstreamed and public campaign programs should be organized to understand the reasons behind students’ stress, depression, and mental disorders. Furthermore, common people should have access to a psychiatrist and mental health services.
The society’s treatment of the students is a well know reason behind mental health issues. In our society, every person is judged by the other person. Society has started measuring the intelligence level through the students’ grades. A student with good grades is considered an intellectual child and the other one is considered a dumb. This stereotypical thinking is mentally destroying the young generation. Parents, teachers and tough competition demand from them to strive more and more for good marks. Unable to cope with this competition makes students depressed and stressed. Extreme mental disorder may compel them to commit suicide because society keeps on reminding them to secure future through high grades or they would fail in life.
Academic pressure is the top reason for students mental health issues. Children commit suicide when they fail to fulfill the expectations of their parents or society. Teachers compel them to secure high grades to maintain the school’s reputation and parents pressurize them to face society. In the KPK province of Pakistan, four students committed suicide after the announcement of intermediate higher secondary results. They committed suicide because they could not secure higher grades and one of the students had this much extreme pressure that even after securing 81%, he still committed suicide as he could not defeat other fellows or could not fulfill his parents’ demands.
Such suicides happen when a child feels the intense pain of public humiliation. A child gets embarrassed to face society as he considers himself a failure. His teachers, parents and whole family starts thrashing him with phrases like “you cannot do anything in life”, “you are useless”, and “you disappointed us”. Such negative phrases fill students with disappointment.
On the other hand, the children of filthy rich families are mostly spoiled or dumb. Such children need proper attention. When they find no one to share their feelings with, they gradually become mentally disturbed and this disturbance leads them to have other mental disorders.
It is also observed that immature and young people going through puberty also commit suicide because of mood swings and dramatized emotional attachment with someone. Mental health departments should become highly alert to young peoples’ mental health. This is getting serious day by day in Pakistan.
Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues
Students’ mental health issues can have a detrimental impact on various aspects of their lives, including their relationships with friends and family, academic performance, physical health, and contentment with their college experience. These problems may also influence students’ long-term work prospects, financial stability, and general health.
