Amir Suhail Wani

Suicide is among the most painful ways in which a society encounters its hidden wounds. In Kashmir, reports of young people taking their own lives, including by jumping into the Jhelum, have become deeply distressing. Every such death leaves behind families grappling with grief, guilt and unanswered questions. Yet viewing suicide only as an individual act can prevent us from understanding the wider psychological, social and cultural circumstances that may contribute to a person reaching a point of crisis.

The question, therefore, is not simply why someone felt unable to continue living, but also what circumstances may have made life seem unbearably difficult at that moment.

Kashmir is going through a significant social transition. A society once characterised by extended families, close neighbourhood relationships, community institutions and relatively stable patterns of social life is experiencing considerable change. Young people today inhabit a world very different from that of their parents. They face academic pressure, uncertain employment prospects, limited opportunities for meaningful work, changing aspirations and constant exposure to images of success and material achievement. The shortage of adequate employment opportunities can add to this anxiety. A young person may spend years pursuing education only to face an uncertain future, while simultaneously receiving messages from family, society and social media that success, wealth and status define personal worth.

Families, too, are changing. The weakening of extended-family structures, migration, economic pressures, marital difficulties, separation and domestic conflict can diminish some of the traditional sources of emotional support. The older social order was certainly not without its difficulties, but it often offered strong networks of belonging through which a person was less likely to feel completely alone. Today, paradoxically, a young person may have hundreds of digital connections and still experience profound loneliness.

This loss of social connectedness is important to understanding the present mental-health challenge. Dr Mohd Musaib Bhat, a mental-health and de-addiction practitioner who has worked with people experiencing mental-health and substance-use difficulties, points to pressures arising from individualism, conformity, unrealistic social expectations and the widening gap between lived reality and carefully curated social-media identities. Digital overuse, consumerism, substance use, emotional difficulties, loneliness and weakening family structures may further affect a person's ability to cope. His observations also resonate with Émile Durkheim's concept of anomie—a condition in which established social norms, relationships and shared meanings become weaker, leaving individuals less connected to the structures that once provided a sense of stability and belonging.

Social media has added another layer to these pressures. Young people no longer compare themselves only with classmates or neighbours; they may compare their everyday lives with thousands of carefully presented lives online. Another person's success can sometimes make one's own achievements seem inadequate; another's relationship may intensify feelings of loneliness; and another's lifestyle may create unrealistic expectations. As the distinction between reality and online presentation becomes blurred, a society that appears highly connected can, at the same time, leave some individuals feeling increasingly isolated.

For adolescents, the situation can be particularly complex. Suicidal thoughts or behaviours may be associated with impulsivity and underlying mental-health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Experiences of abuse, interpersonal difficulties, academic struggles, bullying, neglect or separation from parents may also increase vulnerability. Among adults, conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychosis may interact with unemployment, relationship difficulties, substance use, financial insecurity and past experiences of abuse.

Nasirah Hamid, Clinical Psychologist at the Child Guidance and Wellbeing Centre (CGWC), IMHANS Kashmir, points to the complex interaction of psychological and social factors. “Among adolescents, such behaviours may be driven by impulsivity and underlying mental-health issues such as depression and anxiety. Among adults, conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD and psychosis may contribute to vulnerability. A history of abuse, interpersonal problems, unemployment, poor scholastic performance, neglectful parenting, bullying, divorce between parents or separation from parents may also be associated with suicidal behaviour.”

Hamid also stresses that prevention must begin well before a person reaches a crisis point. “Some preventive measures can be established to diminish these behaviours, including creating awareness, developing strong support systems, providing safe environments, recognising signs and symptoms early, being non-judgmental towards anyone speaking about mental-health difficulties, and reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness.”

Her observations underline an important point: suicide rarely has a single explanation, and its prevention cannot depend on a single intervention. A troubled adolescent needs more than advice to simply remain strong; they need a safe environment, attentive adults, supportive relationships and access to professional care. Similarly, an unemployed or isolated adult dealing with depression, trauma, relationship difficulties or substance use needs to know that seeking psychological or psychiatric assistance is a responsible step, not a sign of weakness.

This is also why the language surrounding suicide matters. A person experiencing suicidal thoughts may not necessarily wish for death itself; often, they may be desperately seeking relief from overwhelming emotional or psychological pain. Responding with criticism, condemnation or shame can make it harder for someone to ask for help. What a person in crisis often needs first is to be heard without immediate judgment. Sometimes, support can begin with a simple assurance: I am here. Tell me what you are going through.

Families, educational institutions and mental-health professionals all have an important role in recognising signs that someone may be struggling. Sudden withdrawal, persistent hopelessness, major behavioural changes, increased substance use, expressions of worthlessness or repeated references to death should not automatically be dismissed as adolescent moodiness or a passing phase. Early support and appropriate professional intervention can make a significant difference. Institutions such as the Child Guidance and Wellbeing Centre at IMHANS Kashmir also have an important role in promoting child and adolescent mental health, positive parenting, awareness and early intervention.

Preventing suicide also requires a more compassionate approach to mental health. Depression, anxiety, trauma and other psychological conditions are genuine health concerns and deserve appropriate care. Consulting a psychologist, psychiatrist or counsellor should be seen as an act of responsibility and courage rather than weakness.

Prayer, spirituality and community support can offer comfort, hope and a sense of meaning to many people. At the same time, they can work alongside—not in place of—appropriate professional care when someone is experiencing serious psychological distress.

Ultimately, the conversation around suicide needs to move beyond asking, “Why did this person do it?” and towards a more compassionate question: “What could we have done to help this person feel less alone?”

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That shift—from judgment to understanding, from silence to conversation, and from stigma to support—may be an important step towards building a society in which people feel they can seek help before a moment of crisis becomes irreversible.