arents and teachers should support children and pay attention to their mental and emotional well-being. They should also take steps to ease the pressure on students and stay on the lookout for signs of distress.

Engaging children in recreational activities can help them de-stress and reduce the risk of suicide, speakers at a day-long seminar on suicide prevention in Peshawar Public School and College said.

The panel also discussed the role of teachers and underscored the importance of training to spot early signs of depression in students, especially those residing by themselves in boarding houses.

The seminar on Rising Suicide Trend, Risk Factors and Preventive Measures was a part of a series of events organised to raise awareness about mental health, as a collaborative initiative between the Young Psychologist’ Society, the Directorate of Youth Affairs and the college.

The speakers said that a hostile environment at home, bullying, social injustices, pressure from parents and teachers, social isolation and use of drugs were some of the factors that increased the risk of suicide.

Most parents and teachers draw comparisons between their wards and others in the peer groups, resulting in development of self-doubt and suicidal tendencies.

The distance between parents and children also causes depression, anxiety and a sense of isolation. Isolated children are unable to share their problems with adults. They are then at a greater risk of developing suicidal ideation and can end their lives because it is harder to come up with solutions to their problems.

Jawad Khan, a young psychology graduate heading YPS, inaugurated the seminar. He told the audience that they had a group of volunteers, mostly young university students, working to offer support to students with psychological issues.

Speaking of the YPS, Khan said it was founded in early 2021 with four main objectives; mental well-being, career counselling, gender equality and awareness raising. “Our goal is to raise awareness on mental health concerns the youth and the society have,” he told the participants.

He added that parents, teachers and the community needed to be open to the younger generation, especially when they approached them to share their problems. “Children should be able to speak about what bothers them with their family members and friends,” said Khan.

Zabih Ullah, a differently-abled national athlete attending the seminar as the guest of honour shared an anecdote with the audience. He said that his belief in his own strength had helped him navigate his disability and become a national athlete. “Unnecessary restrictions on youngsters cause many issues related to their personality growth,” he said.

“Clearly, parents need to be more understanding,” said a panellist. “They must let children set their own goals instead of imposing their will on them,” she said. “For example, compelling children to pursue a profession of the parents’ choice instead of letting them pick their subjects according to their interest and aptitude can cause immense anxiety,” she said, “…at some point, the pressure to perform academically becomes overwhelming for students. They are afraid of failure,” she said.

Syed Waleed Shah, another panellist, said that the YPS had 2,000 members so far but was not able to survey all the educational institutes and boarding facilities offering lodgings to students. “We want to organise career counselling sessions for students as well as teacher training sessions,” said Shah.

“Our organisation, though registered with the provincial government, gets no funds or support from the government. We need help with capacity-building. We could also benefit from expertise and volunteers. Right now we’re a group of graduates running these initiatives on our own,” Shah said.

Hira Farooq, a consultant clinical psychologist, said that empathy informed understanding and a sense of responsibility as a society was needed to address the suffering of students. “Parents and teachers must instill hope in our youth. They should always check in and let them know they’re not alone,” she added.

Professor Iftikhar Ahmad Khan, principal of Peshawar Public School and College, also addressed the students. He urged them not to lose hope and pursue careers that were more to their liking. “I want you to go for fields other than medicine and engineering if you want to,” said the principal. “I want you to participate in sports and co-curricular activities and explore your talents,” he added.

“Our children do not lack talent. They could achieve wonders if they are given an environment conducive to growth and learning,” he said. “Young students, especially girls, are full of potential. We need to make sure they excel,” said Khan.

Dr Umar Amir, a consultant psychiatrist, stressed the importance of offering support to children experiencing a sense of hopelessness. “Depression, drug abuse, schizophrenia and personality disorders are real problems that need to be identified and treated,” said Amir.

He added that offering social support and care to people suffering from these conditions was key to managing them effectively. “Students are always in need of social support,” said the psychiatrist. “We must lend an ear to our children when they come to us to share what’s bothering them. We must address their concerns in a helpful manner instead of patronising them or showing disapproval,” he added.

Other panellists including Aisha Farooq, Romaisa Aziz, Hafsa Mehmoob, Kashif Mehboob and Samreen Akbar. The discussion centred around how the youth were facing various psychological issues that needed to be addressed by the troika of parents, teachers and experts.

The panellists said that all the stakeholders needed to explore ways and means to enable our youth to think positively and develop a sense of interaction instead of spending time on social media. Experts also said that counselling needed to be provided at all educational institutes. The seminar was followed by a questions and answers session where experts responded to queries from the participants.

Mohammad Abbas Shinwari, a student from Khyber tribal district, told The News on Sunday that he and his classmates had learned a lot at the event. “The speakers shared their childhood experiences which were relatable and filled my heart with hope,” said Shinwari. “Failing to get a good score in an examination is not the end of the world. Life should not end there,” said the student. “Life is every bit worth living,” he added.

Gulalai Wazir, a student from Waziristan, said that the seminar was an interesting initiative as it gave a platform to young students to share their issues and problems without fear. “It also gave us hope,” she said, “that maybe we can set our own career goals and pursue our ambitions.” 

The writer is a Peshawar-based journalist. He mostly writes on art, culture, education, youth and minorities. He tweets @Shinwar-9