On average, 40 individuals commit suicide in Bangladesh every day. According to the World Health Organization’s 2024 estimate, the suicide mortality rate in Bangladesh was estimated to be 2.8 per 100,000 people in 2021.

The word “commit” has been condemned by Mosammat Sultana, a mental health counsellor at Psychological Health & Wellness Care (PHWC). In her words, she prefers suicide to be called “death by suicide”.

“Suicide is not something that a person randomly wants to end their life for the sake of finishing their life. The fundamental reason a person dies by suicide is to end their suffering.”

According to her, a person who has been tormented mentally so much to the point that they choose to end their suffering by completely ending their life. At such a dark point in their lives, continuing to live feels meaningless.

And the symptoms are not something that manifests at a single point in time.

“I have seen the earlier signs of this issue in people of all ages. It could be someone very young, someone in their mid-30s to someone who’s very old, too,” she added.

“We cannot pinpoint the root cause of a suicide, as it is a very broad spectrum. But, for an individual of a younger age, relationships and academic stress are considerably noteworthy.”

It is seen that the issue with their parents or from their parents affects them a lot.

She also addressed how trauma can induce a number of different habits, like substance abuse and their faulty idea of love in romantic relationships.

And contrary to popular belief, success and material wealth isn’t something that stops the symptoms from appearing.

To which she explained, “For a student, if someone who has done a great job in their academic life, can be pressured even more – yes, they are a good student, they will obviously do well in their exams or academics. However, it’s the other way around, those specific students undergo serious pressure to maintain their good record.”

Remedies remain subjective and do not fit a mould.

The very first session she does is on assessment of the person who’s taking her counselling. From that, she takes her notes on whether this person is at risk of self-harm in the future or the relevant risks that come with it. And, depending on the session, she notices the early stages of the issue and comes up with a safety plan that is maintained thoroughly. Sometimes, she collaborates with their families and the school authorities, depending on the situation.

“Many people come to us with a false identity of resilience. We ask for their consent to talk to their parents, or we even encourage them to talk to their families on our behalf. Sometimes, they don’t want to talk to their families as their families did not give them the autonomy that they required; in that case, we encourage them to talk to a senior or a friend who would be willing to step forward to help.”

When asked about the dogma of not talking about mental health, she reaffirms how difficult it is for young adults to feel safe in their mental space.

Teenagers and even adults often trap themselves in an endless loop of bottling emotions to a point where they decide to think about self-harm or develop a tendency towards such actions.

In her words, “As we have a clinical setting, it is often seen that the parents who are concerned about their son or daughter come to our clinic, leaving their child at home. Then, I again have to tell them that it’s better to bring the individual to us.”

She added, “I mostly advise them on how to be more lenient towards their children and how it’s crucial to create a judgment-free environment so that the children have a space to talk about their feelings.”

She also mentioned that she often sees that a lot of children would want to talk to her without their parents being present.

“I try to then build rapport and tell them how the system works. We have an ethical practice of confidentiality; we never tell anyone else about what the individual has shared. I have also seen that a person would come to a session, and throughout their session, they wouldn’t talk. I tell them how it’s fine, as before hearing them out, they need to feel safe and understand that I am here to listen to them.”

She addressed how important it is to understand the capacity of a person’s ability to access the situation.

Mental health isn’t really only for people who are depressed. And coming out of this existing stigma requires all of our participation.