Mumbai: The death by suicide on Saturday evening of a 28-year-old UPSC aspirant who allegedly jumped from the eighth floor of a building in Thane city has brought the focus back on the crisis affecting students preparing for competitive examinations.
One of the highest youth suicide rates, tragically, is reported in India. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, one student took their own life every 42 minutes in 2020, averaging 34 suicides per day.
A Lancet Southeast Asia report published this month revealed that India recorded 1,70,924 suicides in 2022, with students comprising 7.6% of the total cases. In the report, 2,248 student deaths were linked to exam failure. The report highlighted individual causes such as low self-esteem, high expectations, and history of abuse.
According to a study conducted in 2023 by the Lokniti-CSDS in Kota — known as a coaching hub for UPSC aspirants — more than 85% UPSC aspirants spend six to seven hours every day in coaching classes, some up to eight hours. The study found that students confirmed experiencing an increase in loneliness, mood swings, fatigue, anger, sadness, and depression since they moved to Kota.
Over-anxious and over-ambitious parents, criticism, comparisons with peers, and psychological and economic problems are also cited as factors in student suicides.
Psychiatrist Dayal Mirchandani said, “Most youngsters take the decision to prepare for UPSC at a very young age. Then there is parental pressure as well, and students are often convinced that clearing the exam is the only option. But each case is different. Some don’t see any other option. Others are not resilient enough to take the stress. Society is also to be blamed for the culture that sees someone unable to clear UPSC as a failure.”
Financial constraints, especially for students from marginalised backgrounds, makes the pressure worse. However, some students say that isolation during preparation for one of India's toughest exams is a major factor driving these suicides.
“You lose touch with friends and family, as social interactions become nearly non-existent,” UPSC aspirant Smadhavi Rathi said. Jayesh Bhayegaonkar, another aspirant, echoed similar sentiments: “We isolate ourselves for three to four years or even more. It’s just you and your studies, which is not healthy.”
Rathi said the pressure to clear the exam from society, parents and relatives burdens many students. When their friends clear it, the pressure worsens, and since they live in isolation, they do not talk about their fears with anybody who could guide them, she added.
“These things ultimately start to take a toll on your mental health,” Bhayegaonkar said. “In mock interviews, aspirants facing questions related to social outreach often give unsatisfactory answers as they do not socialise,” added Rathi.
Even when help in the form of therapy is available, Rathi said, many avoid it. “They would rather take anti-depressant pills than seek help from a therapist,” she said.
Psychiatrist Mirchandani explained, “People feel that if they seek help from a therapist, the world will consider them weak. Many believe they must handle their own problems.”
But taking anti-depressants is not a solution, Mirchandani added. “General physicians sometimes prescribe pills but their knowledge in the field is limited and they may not always prescribe the right medicine. The solution is to seek help from an early age, and that is where parents must step in.”
Rising suicide rates among UPSC aspirants highlights the immense pressure, isolation and lack of support they often endure during preparation. Tackling these root issues by improving mental health resources and alleviating societal pressures is essential to prevent further tragedies.
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