DHAKA, June 09, 2026 (BSS) - “I am in a state that likens water overflowing from the glass… I don’t belong anywhere. No one wants me.” 

Those words came quietly from Suma (pseudonym), a student found on the brink of a suicide attempt inside a Dhaka educational institution. 

The incident unfolded during an ordinary academic day. After consecutive classes, during the tiffin break, a teacher of a top college in Dhaka was preparing to have lunch when a student rushed in with an urgent warning that Suma was attempting to take her own life. 

She was found alone on a second-floor balcony, carrying tablets, with visible old self-inflicted injuries on her hand. She was immediately brought to safety. When asked if she had eaten, she replied softly that she had not. Food was offered, and after repeated encouragement, she began to eat. In that moment, she described herself as “overflowing water” that does not belong anywhere. 

What followed was a prolonged account of neglect, instability and trauma. 

Suma said she lost her mother at an early age and grew up in a fragmented household under a stepfamily structure. She described emotional neglect, lack of protection and physical abuse as recurring parts of her childhood. As she grew older, even basic needs such as food and safety remained uncertain. 

By adolescence, she began supporting herself through private tutoring. However, suspicion and restrictions within the household increased over time. At times, she was locked out overnight and falsely accused of misconduct for returning home late. Her distress gradually deepened into hopelessness, self-harm tendencies and a persistent sense of worthlessness. 

She was later placed in a safer living arrangement in a student hostel with tutoring support, which helped stabilize her temporarily. Her academic performance improved and she completed her first-year honours examinations successfully. 

But recovery remained fragile. After her second-year exams, she went out of contact and later made an urgent late-night call saying she had married but left her in-laws’ house within a day. She was staying at a friend’s residence in Uttara. It later emerged she had married Rakib (pseudonym), a colleague she had known during her recovery phase, after a relationship that developed into emotional attachment. 

Shortly after the marriage, she left her husband’s home, expressing confusion, emotional distress and inability to continue the relationship. In later conversations, she also made conflicting identity-related statements, including about her gender identity, which her family rejected, attributing them to emotional instability and past trauma. 

“Her psychological history later revealed a deeply traumatic childhood experience of sexual abuse by a close relative at a very young age, which she linked to long-term emotional distress, self-hatred and identity confusion,” said Professor Kazi Lutfunnesa, a retired teacher and adviser of social organisation Brighter Tomorrow Foundation, which works on suicide prevention and awareness. 

Mental health experts say such cases are increasingly visible among adolescents facing layered vulnerabilities. 

Another case from a similar academic environment reflects a parallel pattern. 

A female student, affected by intergenerational family trauma and the suicide of her mother, developed chronic emotional distress and withdrawal. During an examination, teachers found emotional writings in her answer script expressing worthlessness and psychological collapse instead of academic responses.

With structured support and reduced pressure, she gradually recovered and continued her education. 

Experts warn that these cases reflect a wider silent crisis among adolescents in Bangladesh, where emotional distress often remains hidden until crisis emerges. 

According to Professor Dr Farzana Rahman, of the Department of Community and Social Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital, adolescent suicide risk develops gradually rather than suddenly. 

“It is the result of accumulated emotional neglect, academic pressure, family conflict and unresolved trauma,” she said. 

She noted that strict parenting, emotional invalidation and excessive academic expectations significantly increase vulnerability. She also highlighted emerging digital risks such as cyberbullying, online addiction and harmful virtual interactions. 

Warning signs, she said, include withdrawal, hopelessness, self-blame, sleep disturbance, declining academic performance and repeated expressions of wanting to die or feeling worthless. 

“Such statements should never be dismissed,” she said. “They are clear indicators of emotional crisis.” 

Prof Rahman said currently in Bangladesh, 12.7% of children and adolescents under the age of 18 are affected by mental disorders. 

Among the causes of death for people aged 15–29, suicide ranks as the 2nd leading cause, she said. 

Data from Aachol Foundation shows hundreds of student suicides annually in Bangladesh, with most cases at school and college levels. Adolescents aged 13–19 account for nearly two-thirds of cases, with females disproportionately affected. 

In 2021, 101 university students, in 2022, 532 students, in 2023, 513 students, and in 2024 a total of 310 students committed suicide. 

In 2025 alone, 403 students from schools, colleges, universities and madrasas committed suicide. The highest share—190 cases—was recorded at school level. 

Foundation president Tansen Rose said adolescents remain the most vulnerable group due to academic pressure, identity conflict, relationship stress and family instability. 

Experts say the pattern reflects a deeper reality: behind academic performance and everyday normalcy, many adolescents carry unspoken psychological burdens until crisis emerges. 

In response, the government has launched a pilot initiative under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, with mental health service provider “Moner Bondhu” conducting awareness training for teachers and students. 

Officials said around 20,000 students will receive direct training, while the programme will also identify root causes of suicide and contribute to a national-level research paper for a future prevention policy framework. 

Suma’s journey remains fragile, marked by cycles of stability and relapse. 

Her story, alongside others, underscores an urgent need for early mental health intervention in Bangladesh’s education system, where silent distress often goes unnoticed until it turns irreversible. 

Prof Rahman said,  "The hopeful news is that we have been providing mental health services to many adolescents like Suma, and they have been able to start life anew. 

However, these services are still insufficient, she said adding that unfortunately, there is a major gap in access to mental health treatment and support for people suffering from mental illness. 

Research shows that this gap can be as high as 92%. This means that out of every 100 people, 92 remain outside the coverage of mental health care and treatment services, she mentioned. 

She said this is called the Mental Health Gap (MH-gap). 

Keeping this issue in focus, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Directorate General of Health Services, National Institute of Mental Health, World Health Organization, UNICEF, Moner Bondhu, and several other organizations are working sincerely to address this issue. 

Social activists noted organizations like Kaan Pete Roi and Sajeda Foundation have two or three helplines, but there is lack of expert-led helplines. 

They stressed on increasing  budgetary allocation for the mental health sector, strengthening helplines operated by skilled and trained professionals and increasing counseling centers upto grassroots, imparting training to guardians on parenting and proper training to teachers. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the target to contain suicide is to reduce the global suicide rate by one-third by 2030. 

While many developed countries have successfully reduced suicide rates through targeted mental health interventions, a significant paradox exists where approximately 73pc to 75pc of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This indicates that, while developed nations have often made more progress in reducing their rates, the absolute burden of suicide remains highest in poorer, developing nations.