While many adults associate teenage as the most carefree and fun time, unfortunately this is not the case for many young people. According to The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) there were 1,153 attempted suicides across Pakistan and 2,131 suicides in 2011 with 5 or 6 teenagers attempting suicide daily in Karachi. Most of these attempts are by people under 30. The question here is why young people are so troubled in Pakistan? Psychologists says there are several factors, depression is the foremost and severe of all. Most of the times it goes undiagnosed because it’s not even considered an illness in our country. It might be due to lack of opportunities, bullying at school or lack of social skills. Secondly, academic pressure or not being able to fulfil family’s expectations leads to emotional distress. Lastly, lack of communication or moral support can make a person feel isolated and helpless. It’s not hard to tell if someone is going through trauma, the least we can do is to treat everyone with kindness because people need it. I hope the concerned authorities will take this matter seriously and work accordingly.
MARIA MUKHTAR,
Islamabad, May 27.