Rising tendencies for suicides among youth in Kashmir do not head to any dead end and the cause generally cited for rise in suicide tendencies is not just increasing joblessness in Kashmir but failures in handholding of youth at home and as well as their counseling for better careers at the educational institutions are to be equally blamed for unprecedented rise in suicide tendencies among youth across Kashmir. Looking at the suicide attempts of the youth in recent years it is very shocking that the no of suicide deaths is more than the no of suicide survivors. Though general perception about suicide tendencies among youth in Kashmir is that frustration among youth which develops in them fast mostly either at the fag end of their academic careers when they started thinking about the job opportunities or after completion of their degrees during their struggle for jobs but fact remains that frustration among youth in Kashmir develops also due to several family issues. Though unprecedented rise in the no of civil service qualifiers in recent years had developed tremendous interest for civil services among the youth of valley and consequently intensity of suicide tendencies had reduced for a couple of years but an unprecedented dip in the no of civil service qualifiers from Kashmir during last two years is consequently reducing the interest of youth in civil services again and consequently a rise in the suicide tendencies is being noticed across Kashmir again. Apparently a low intensity focus on career counseling in Colleges and Universities for lucrative careers like civil services could be the cause of reducing interest of Valley youth for civil services and as such greater focus on career counseling would most probably reduce the increasing tendencies of depression among the educated youth in Kashmir.
- Since the causes for increasing suicide tendencies are many besides dip in the interest of youth for lucrative careers like civil services, the Government can embark on a multi-pronged strategy against increasing suicide tendencies the bigger part of which should be bigger focus on career counseling in colleges and Universities as stress for jobs remains at the centre of many deadly mental health issues showing an unprecedented rise among valley youth day after and year after year .
Not just greater focus on career counseling but more transparency in the recruitment processes after the cancellation of several recruitment processes by J&K Service Selection Board (JKSSB) can also probably reduce the increasing tendencies of suicides among educated youth in Kashmir. Since the causes for increasing suicide tendencies are many besides dip in the interest of youth for lucrative careers like civil services, the Government can embark on a multi-pronged strategy against increasing suicide tendencies the bigger part of which should be bigger focus on career counseling in colleges and Universities as stress for jobs remains at the centre of many deadly mental health issues showing an unprecedented rise among valley youth day after and year after year. [email protected]
