The student suicidal rate has been rising at an alarming rate because it has nearly doubled in the last ten years. Elevated social media usage and workloads are some of the factors being blamed for prompting this trend.
The high student suicidal rate can be linked to a rise in the number of reported cases by university students concerning mental distress.
Additionally, high school guidance counselors are worried about the high number of learners seeking help for acute problems.
Student suicidal rate alarming
Statistics by the coroner show that 37 students committed suicide in the 2007-08 period. This number has, however, risen in the 2018-19 period to 71.
This trend is being witnessed in different learning institutions.
For instance, pastoral care and student well-being are issues that have been highly scrutinized at the University of Canterbury following the death of Mason Pendrous, a 19-year-old student.
His body had gone undetected for weeks at the university halls. As a result, substantial concerns were raised about the level of pastoral care in accommodation areas.
According to Dr. Sue Bagshaw, a youth health expert, the high student suicidal rate was being instigated by the rising number of distressed students. This was being prompted by workload and exam pressure, as well as social media use.
High expectation triggering high student suicidal rate
Bagshaw noted that students were continuously being expected to do well in their studies.
As a result, immense pressure was being exerted, and this was proving to be detrimental based on the number of suicides observed.
On the other hand, Bagshaw asserted that people tended to compare themselves with others on social media platforms, and students were not an exemption.
As a result, the emergence of underlying stress was inevitable, and this was reasonably affecting students to the extent that some of them resulted in committing suicide.
Students from Wellington and Auckland faced intense financial pressure based on the high cost of living, and this was significantly affecting their well-being.
Conversely, in the UK, students experiencing mental health challenges have been compelled to wait for nearly twelve (12) weeks for them to get help from their respective universities.
