Make Student Mentally Strong To Prevent Suicides: Utkal VC

Bhubaneswar, Sep 11: Students and youth should be made aware of real-life situations through general conversations to make them mentally strong. Despite increasing awareness, the number of suicide cases has been increasing, said Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University Prof. Sabita Acharya here on Saturday.

 

Inaugurating a function to mark the World Suicide Prevention Day organised by Psychology department at Utkal University, she said conducting awareness campaigns at colleges and universities on suicide prevention and sensitising students is of vital importance. Explaining that tolerance sensitivity is decreasing among youth and students, the Vice-Chancellor said it is the main reason for increasing suicide cases among youth.

As per a report, the suicide case in Odisha has marked an increase of 20.20% over the last five years. The current suicide rate in Odisha is 12.5 per cent against the national average of 12 per cent. The highest suicide rates are seen among teenagers and young adults between the ages of 25 to 35 years old. Illness, debts, poverty, love failure and failure in examinations are major reasons for suicide, she said.

Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. As per WHO’s latest estimates, one in 100 deaths is by suicide. Apart from India, suicide rates are also high in USA, South Korea and other countries, said Professor and Coordinator of Odisha Higher Education Programme for Excellence and Equity (OHEPEE) Dr. Nigamananda Das.

Chairman of PG Council Prof. Durga Shankar Pattanaik said living is the solution, suicide is not. Failure, stress, frustration and hopelessness are not reasons to take one’s own life. Speaking about the role of the family in preventing suicides, he said if the family members are attentive, they can observe major behavioural changes in people prone to suicide. They suffer from depression, become moody, and lose appetite and interest in daily things, he added.

The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day from 2021 to 2023 is ‘Creating hope through action.’ The objective is to instil hope among people, reminding them that suicides won’t solve any problem. “Suicide is not the last option available to the difficulties of life. The main aim of observing World Suicide Prevention Day is to inform and encourage people that there are alternatives to suicide, and this hope should be given by family members and friends,” opines Dr. Bhaswati Patnaik, head of Psychology department.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Assistant Professor of Psychology department Mousumi Sethy and the programme was coordinated by PR Media Cell. On the occasion, 13 departments participated in art competition while 7 departments took part in skit competition.