Mental health professionals and parents have expressed concerns over the rising stress levels and peer pressure among by young people with at least one school and one college student having died by suicide in the past week alone.
On Thursday, a 17-year-old girl from Faridabad allegedly died by suicide after jumping from a building. Police said she had been preparing for the JEE (Mains) and was reportedly under stress due to the upcoming exam.
In another case, a 20-year-old BCom student from Surat Nagar died by suicide on Tuesday after jumping in front of a train. According to his family, he was nervous and anxious during his last days.
Earlier this month, Gurugram police also recorded the deaths of two school students in separate incidents on October 23 and October 31— a Class 10 student and a Class 12 student jumped off high-rise buildings after allegedly scoring poorly in their exams. One of the parents of the Class 10 student said that they had been struggling with fear of academic failure.
While police investigations are ongoing, psychologists say the growing number of cases is part of a larger pattern of emotional burnout and academic overload among school going children. They cite rising cases of anxiety disorders, depressive episodes, attention difficulties, sleep disturbances and chronic fear of failure among teenagers.
“The major reason might be intense academic competition, where children incorporate unrealistic expectations from both schools and parents,” said Dr Anil Kumar, consultant psychiatrist at Paras Health. “ Other factors such as peer pressure, social comparison, and bullying, both offline and online add to that pressure. Many children lack emotional support at home because families are busy.”
Official data from the state crime records bureau (SCRB) shows that at least 128 students in Haryana have died by suicide after failing exams since 2019. This does not include 2024 for which the data compilation is ongoing. Of these, 67 were minors and 61 were aged between 18 and 30 years old. The highest number of cases was recorded in 2022, when 36 students died by suicide after failing to secure adequate marks. In 2023, the number stood at 29; in 2021, 22; in 2020, 19; and in 2019, 22.
According to the national crime records bureau (NCRB), student suicides rose by 65% between 2013 and 2023. Students accounted for 8.1% of all deaths by suicide in 2023, up from 6.2% a decade ago.
“We’re seeing a rise in cases driven by both academic and peer pressure,” said Dr Rahul Chandhok, senior consultant and head of psychiatry at Artemis Lite NFC. “These stresses show up as irritability, sudden drops in grades, withdrawal from family and disrupted sleep. Many students feel they’re competing constantly.”
“Integrating mental health education into the curriculum in schools and colleges and providing access to on-campus counsellors can make a significant difference,” Dr Kumar added.
Schools in Gurugram said they are expanding counselling support. “We have dedicated counsellors who work regularly with board classes, both in groups and one-on-one,” said Sreelekha Sarcar, senior educator at Shiv Nadar School. “They focus on stress management, time management and dealing with exam-related anxiety. Students can also use CBSE’s free psychosocial helpline which is 1800-111-8004.”
Aditi Misra, director of DPS International, said counselling is a major part of the school’s values framework to help students build emotional intelligence.
For many students, the pressure feels constant. “If you’re preparing for board exams, people ask about your marks, your next course, or which competitive exam you’re taking,” said Shreya Srivastava, a Class 12 student. “With coaching classes after school, it sometimes feels like there’s no time left for yourself. It gets overwhelming.”