DHAKA, Oct 11, 2022 (BSS) - Former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University (DU)
Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique today said mental health is just like other
medical illnesses and the illness should be treated with great care to bring
an end to the increasing number of suicides in the country.
 
"There may be several reasons behind suicide, but people commit suicide when
they cannot bear the stress anymore. National and Institutional priority is a
must for mental health," said Dr Arefin.
 
He was addressing an open discussion as the chief guest titled 'The role of
youth in preventing suicide' at BANBEIS bhaban in the capital, organized by
the National Association of UNESCO Clubs in Bangladesh.
 
Eminent novelist and Bangla Academy president Selina Hossen, Deputy Secretary
General of Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO (BNCU) Md. Shohel Imam
Khan and Mahbub Uddin Chowdhury, secretary general of the UNESCO Club also
addressed the discussion, chaired by club president Sayeda Minufar Nasreen.
 
Prof Arefin, also chairman of the board of directors of Bangladesh Sangbad
Sangstha (BSS), said, "Our society puts so much pressure on students to do
well academically that they end up feeling deeply ashamed of themselves to
even face society again."
 
The academician urged the concerned to take necessary measures giving utmost
priority to mitigate the pressure which students have to face in their
academic life as well as to remove such meaningless terms that 'Getting a
GPA-5 is everything and life is meaningless without such result' from its
root from both students and guardians' mind.

Students and teachers from different schools, colleges and universities took
part in the discussion.