While many of us were heartbroken with Sushant Singh Rajput’s sudden demise, there is a segment of our society that is most vulnerable to this news – our kids.
When many of us were busy accepting the devastating news, it has been reported that the four minor children from different parts of the country have ended their life. All because they couldn’t cope with the sad news.
As per a report on News 18, a 15-year-old girl passed away at her Chouldari residence in Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on June 17. It is said she went into depression over Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise.
According to Director General of Police, Andaman, and the Nicobar Islands, Dependra Pathak told the publication:
“Yes, it’s true that a girl aged 15-years-old hanged herself after she went into depression over the actor’s suicide. I would like to urge all the youngsters to look forward in life to achieve their goals in nation building rather than taking such extreme steps. I would also like to urge all the parents to speak to their children, if they notice any symptoms of depression on them.”
This heartbreaking news came two days after a 17-year-old girl student struggling with depression ended her life in Bihar’s capital Patna. According to a TOI report, her mother shared that she was depressed for not performing well in her Class X examination. And, she was continuously watching the news of Sushant’s demise. Though her mother tried to convince her not to watch the news, she didn’t listen.
In another shocking incident, a Class X student from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh also died by suicide after hearing the news about the Bollywood actor. As per TOI, “the boy allegedly wrote, “If he can do it why can’t I”.
And, as per Catch News, a 10-year-old boy from Lodipur village in the Chandi police station area of the Nalanda district died of suicide. It is also mentioned that the boy watched the actor’s movie MS Dhoni Untold Story, just a night before his death. Upset over his death, he kept asking his parents if anyone could die by hanging.
It is heartbreaking how media, especially our news channels, sensationalized the death of Susant Singh without knowing its consequences on young minds.
As we adore and seek inspiration from celebrities, even though we may not know them, they are still an important part of our lives. To some, especially to our young kids, it may feel like losing a close friend or acquaintance. And grief could be triggered by some photos and films.
It’s a very different type of grief which we do not know of. And it is very important to seek help to recover from it.
As a parent, please make sure that you help your kid processes this critical information that he is grasping from different channels. In order to support your kids in handling this information about suicide, it is important that you talk to your kids openly about mental health and how to seek professional help, if needed.
At IFORHER, we are heartbroken with the grief that these kids and their parents went through. We need to remember that for this generation of kids, deaths of their icons are much bigger than what we, adults, might realize because of well connected social media. It’s important not to shy away from initiating the conversation, and help our kids process this information and grief before they take any unfortunate step.
