Student Kills Self At PG Citing Loneliness; Psychologist Weighs In

An 18-year-old girl from Nabadwip, West Bengal, allegedly died by suicide on September 20, at her rented apartment in the Picnic Garden area of southeast Kolkata.

The girl, who was identified as Ipsita Ghosh, had been preparing for the MBBS entrance exam for the past eight months at one of the premier institutes in the city. She left a long suicide note, explaining that loneliness was the primary reason that drove her to take this extreme step.

Student Kills Self At Kolkata PG Accommodation

Probably the competitive environment and exam pressure that come with taking up a complicated exam like medical entrance took a toll on her mental health. Apparently, the girl did not find any friends to whom she could confide and might have felt lonely.

At the end of the suicide note, she wrote that no one was responsible for her decision, said a police officer from Tiljala Police Station.

The police sources said the girl was found hanging in her first-floor room around 9.30 a.m. She was immediately rushed to the CNMC hospital, but unfortunately, she was declared dead on arrival.

Police officers said they would speak to her family about the incident. They also added that they would go through her call record, if necessary, as they needed to determine if she was under any pressure at the institute. The police will also be speaking to the owner of the apartment to determine what happened on the night of September 19.

With the investigation ongoing, police officials have ordered an inquest while awaiting the postmortem results. One of the things that the majority of us have been made aware of since the COVID-19 pandemic is how scary and traumatic loneliness can be. Everyone deserves to have at least one person to whom they can talk about anything under the sky without being judged, shamed, or criticised. Everyone needs that safe space in the form of a family member, friend, or colleague.

Expert Take On Loneliness Being Detrimental To Mental Health

Explaining how loneliness can be detrimental to a person's mental health, Sarika Karnad, a psychologist at Gytree, said, "Loneliness, especially in a world full of connections and follow requests, can be very isolating. It’s also become harder to pin down the feeling and process it since the rise of social media. It can feel like a constant loop—not being able to communicate with others, feeling isolated and unheard, and therefore feeling lonelier and more disconnected in the process."

She further elaborated that this could trigger suicidal tendencies, as people might feel more hopeless and helpless over time. "Not being able to talk about our struggles could be the main reason you feel lonely, and this can only exacerbate with less communication. One important thing to remember is that you’re not alone! We all feel lonely, and it’s okay to feel it too," she added.

How To Combat Loneliness?

"About three years ago, I spiralled down into a very deep, dark hole, and it happened to coincide with the pandemic. Reading literature and journaling my thoughts into poems helped me survive the dark thoughts during the lockdown, and once the borders were partially opened, I began travelling and letting nature heal me. If not for the solo travels, I doubt I would still be here,” said a 27-year-old IT employee.

A 30-year-old MNC professional said that she resorted to working out to combat loneliness and depression. “I pushed myself each and every day to get out of bed and work out at the gym. Seeing my body get fitter, stronger, and healthier gave me new-found confidence,” she said.

Psychologist Sarika Karnad further suggested a few methods to deal with loneliness, including communicating with trustworthy people, making a list of things to do by yourself, disconnecting from social media, and joining new spaces to feel more engaged, such as dance classes, gyms, pottery, etc. and take counselling if need be.

Suggested Reading: Will Fixing Fans Alone Solve Kota's Rising Student Suicide Crises?

Views expressed by the author are their own