Do not place your child in a pressure cooker

Teenage suicides, which were previously unheard of, are now a worrying trend. Globally, suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29. This calls for a better understanding of this behavior, because by discussing the developmental and psychological challenges faced during the school years, one may be able to develop effective strategies to prevent suicide in this age group .

Dr. Hamed al Sinawi, a senior psychiatrist at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, said suicide can be attributed to psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and other mental disorders. The family environment can also play a role, especially if there are dysfunctional family dynamics, abuse, or neglect.

“Academic pressure and high expectations from parents and peers and the fear of failure or getting a low score can also lead to suicidal behavior. Bullying is another factor that needs to be addressed, whether it is physical, verbal or cyberbullying, as there is evidence that bullying is linked to poor mental health, increasing the risk of suicide. Schoolchildren who experience social isolation are also at risk, because they are more likely to be lonely and have difficulty entering into relationships.”

He goes further, adding that the easy availability of methods to commit suicide, and television films and video clips depicting suicide, also encourage a person to self-harm. Many of the above factors apply to the situation in Oman, especially bullying, which can have devastating consequences for young people.

N Nandhini, a psychotherapist, says she has personally seen how academic and social pressure through her eldest son can affect a child’s well-being. “He struggled to balance his studies, playtime and friendships, which began to affect him emotionally. We decided to enroll him in a residential school to give him more room for growth and social interaction, and we have noticed a remarkably positive difference.”

Dr. Sinawi suggests that preventive measures should be implemented to address suicidal behavior, starting with awareness programs for parents and teachers to take into account behavior that would cause emotional problems in the student.

“Schools should also adopt strategies to deal with bullying. You may wonder whether schoolchildren today are less strong to cope with setbacks? In my opinion, parenting styles have changed over the years. We see more overprotective parents who provide whatever the child asks for, teaching him or her that everything is available and when faced with the harsh reality, they don’t know how to deal with it. In addition, parents who demand high grades from their children increase stress and the child becomes constantly preoccupied with the question of how not to let his parents down.

Dr. Vijay Ram Naresh, a psychiatrist, puts forward a few points that will answer all the questions faced by the parents and help the children to deal with adversities, which is a social/cognitive skill, just like any other skill.

“Will our children ever learn to swim if we just visit the pool or the sea without taking them with us? They cannot learn to swim without getting into the water and wetting themselves. ”

His second point is that both the school and the parents are not ready to accept the normality and uniqueness of an individual. Lata Mangeshkar has never played cricket. Sachin Tendulkar never tried to sing. But now every parent wants their child to be the best in everything (all-rounders). This certainly brings stress, he said.

“Thirdly, exposure to social media has increased the element of ‘fear of missing out, FOMO’ in children so that the current generation is also stressed from within,” says Dr Vijay.

The combination of these makes our “generationext” more stressed and vulnerable, he said.