Suicide is the intentional causation of one’s own death, and it is a global problem. Although suicide is relatively rare in children, many students are now bordering on this belligerent illness. Reportedly, it happens due to different factors but few more obvious causes of suicide include unemployment, family disputes, and the forcing of children into unattractive academic fields and strange environments.

There is an enormous amount of cases that testify that most students commit suicide due to lack of interest in the academic fields they are forced into. On 18th January 2019, a third-year student of MBBS at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUHMS) committed suicide in his hostel room. Reportedly, he was not interested in the field of medicine and was enthusiastic about pursuing cricket, but he joined MBBS due to the persistent force of his parents, and as a result, committed suicide. It is indeed a heart wrenching and deplorable situation that the rate of suicide has now increased exponentially.

According to a research, approximately 0.5 percent to 1.4 percent of people die by suicide, and about 12 per 100,000 persons per year globally. But in Pakistan one analysis conducted over 2015-16, reports over 300 cases of suicide in Pakistan from 35 different cities. Out of 1,473 reported cases of suicide, 673 were reported in Sindh, 645 in Punjab, 121 in the KPK and 34 in Balochistan.

The federal and provincial governments should introduce proper career counseling systems in educational institutes at a very initial stage to students regarding career choice, stress management, crisis handling, and motivation. It will help us offer our children countless opportunities and choices, and to prevent further loss of lives.

NAVEED ABBAS MAITLO,

Khairpur Mirs, February 3.