Suicides linked to student exam season
Research indicates suicides among young adults peak during exam season, leading to calls for student counselling and early intervention
A national study into suicide trends involving young people has found a correlation between the deaths and exam season.
While the causes of suicide are often complex, exams can sometimes be the final straw that lead to teens and young adults under age 25 taking their own lives, The Guardian reports citing a study by Manchester University researchers.
Researchers collected information on 922 suicides by people aged under 25 in England and Wales during 2014 and 2015 and found the number of suicides at each age rose steadily in the late teens and early 20s. Most who died were male (76%), the study says.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Academic pressures and bullying were more common before suicide in under 20s, while workplace, housing and financial problems occurred more often in 20-24 year olds," the reports says.
Bereavement was common in both age groups - 25% of under 20s and 28% of 20-24 year olds - equivalent to about 125 deaths per year.
Of particular interest, The Guardian reports, is that on average, 96 people under age 25 committed suicide in April and May in England and Wales. Another 88 – the next highest figure – did so in September, the beginning of the academic year.
Although the report emphasises that suicide is usually caused by a combination of factors, academic pressures - especially related to exams - was identified as a common theme. It was prevalent in 43 per cent of suicides by those under 20, the researchers found.
"Analysis of evidence heard at inquests shows that 63 (43%) of the 145 suicides among those aged under 20 in 2014-15 were experiencing academic pressures of different sorts before their death. Almost one in three – 46 (32%) – had exams at the time, or coming up soon, or were waiting for exam results," the Guardian reports.
Sarah Brennan, the chief executive of Young Minds, urged ministers to ensure that "students' wellbeing is given as much priority as their academic performance". Others called for an increase in funding to support early intervention.
The Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123
Infographic by Manchester University.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What Mike Huckabee means for US-Israel relations
In the Spotlight Some observers are worried that the conservative evangelical minister could be a destabilizing influence on an already volatile region
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Airplane food is reportedly getting much worse
Cockroaches and E. coli are among the recent problems encountered in the skies
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: November 19, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
English literature: is it doomed?
Speed Read Arts and humanities courses are under attack thanks to a shift to ‘skills-led’ learning
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Are UK classrooms a new political battleground?
Speed Read Government has issued new guidance on political neutrality in schools
By The Week Staff Published
-
Kathleen Stock resigns: the ‘hounding’ of an academic on the front line of transgender rights debate
Speed Read Sussex University students claim ‘trans and non-binary students are safer and happier for it’
By The Week Staff Published
-
How 100,000 ‘lost children’ disappeared from UK school system
Speed Read Experts warn that vulnerable pupils may be recruited by gangs after failing to return to education post-lockdown
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Why is the government planning to cut arts education funding by 50%?
Speed Read Proposal described by critics as ‘catastrophic’ and ‘an attack on the future of UK arts’
By Kate Samuelson Last updated
-
How schools can support children’s mental health
In Depth The best have helped their students to build resilience during the challenges of the past year
By The Week Staff Published
-
Schools do not spread Covid-19, multiple studies find
Speed Read Reports from Germany, Norway and the WHO conclude schoolchildren are not vector of infection
By Holden Frith Published
-
Universities must consider refunding students hit by Covid disruption, regulator warns
Speed Read Institutions under investigation as thousands of undergraduates remain locked down amid coronavirus outbreaks
By Arion McNicoll Last updated