With a rising number of suicides among students and the unemployed, a parliamentary panel has asked the health ministry to establish phone-based outreach to connect with youths who face failure in competitive exams like UPSC, NEET, and JEE. The standing committee on health and family welfare took note of the “continuously rising number of suicides in the country”. The panel said it believes that “feeling hopeless and low self-esteem” pushes a person to take extreme steps to end life.
“The committee is pained to observe that students and unemployed youth accounted for the highest number of suicides in India,” the report said while mentioning the numbers of suicides as per the NCRB data, 2021.
The panel noted that the “suicides by students hardly caught anyone’s attention and were dealt with on a case-to-case basis”.
Hence, based on the observation, the panel recommended the ministry to “make provision under its 24/7 helpline to telephonically connect with youths who fail to qualify for competitive exams like UPSC-CSE, NEET, SSC, JEE, etc., by few marks and counsel them against committing suicides”.
It also said that the government should “prioritise mental health awareness and education campaigns” to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
It can be done by conducting awareness programmes in schools and colleges, providing information on available mental health resources, and promoting open discussions on mental well-being, it said.
‘Generate data on mental health of children, adolescents, youth’
The committee, headed by BJP’s Bhubaneshwar Kalita, also suggested that the government should work with employers to implement workplace wellness programmes focusing on mental health.
These initiatives, the panel recommended, can include stress management workshops, counselling services, and flexible work arrangements to reduce stress.
“Similarly, the implementation of mental health education in schools can teach young individuals about behavioural aspects that contribute to mental well-being,” it said. “This can equip them with the tools they need to manage their emotions and cope with challenges effectively.”
Meanwhile, the panel also said that there is a “lack of comparable data and evidence on the mental health problems affecting children, adolescents and young people”.
Hence, the Committee recommended that in the National Mental Health Survey -2 (NMHS-2), specific provisions should be made to generate evidence and data on the mental health and psycho-social well-being of children, adolescents, youth, and caregivers to understand the magnitude, trends, patterns, and the prevalence of problems in these areas.
“…A dedicated cadre of school counsellors in all schools under the “Manodarpan” initiative should be developed for this purpose,” it said. The panel added that the school management committees should be encouraged to have inclusive learning spaces focusing on students’ social and emotional learning.
Panel recommends advancing National Mental Health Survey-2
The committee also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic increased risks to mental health and psycho-social well-being and accentuated stress factors for all, especially children, adolescents, and caregivers.
Noting that the pandemic had a “devastating impact” on mental health in India, the panel recommended “an immediate and comprehensive countrywide mental health survey”.
“A post-COVID-19 mental health survey is crucial to assess the prevalence and severity of mental health disorders among the Indian population,” it said.
Such a survey, the panel believes, will provide valuable insights into the demographic groups and regions most affected by the pandemic’s mental health consequences.
“The Committee is of the firm opinion that the findings from the survey will serve as crucial evidence for policymakers to take informed decisions related to mental health funding, infrastructure development, and evidence-based interventions,” it said.
Therefore, the committee has recommended that the National Mental Health Survey -2, which is scheduled to be completed in 2025, should be expedited so that the impact of Covid-19 may be accurately ascertained.
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