SA’s Teen Suicide Season

During matric season, suicide rates climb. As South Africa prepares for the exam season, Günther Simmermacher looks at the issues and where help is available for learners, families and teachers.

Matric season is filled with pressures, stress and anxiety — and these burdens can result in teen suicides and attempted teen suicides.

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) reports that incidents of teen suicides are on the rise. According to statistics issued by the Psychiatry Management Group, up to 20% of high school learners in South Africa have tried to take their own lives. Suicide accounts for 9% of all teenage deaths in the country.

Aside from academic pressures, young people may also face social problems, such as family discord, substance abuse, physical, sexual and emotional abuse at home, trauma, bullying, bereavement and grief.

And Catholic schools are not immune from this. “We are finding increased stress in schools — both pupils and teachers,” Anne Baker, deputy director of the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE) told The Southern Cross.

“We have had quite a number of suicides and attempted suicides in our schools. Sometimes no one knows why these happen — in fact, I think usually the exact reason for suicide is not known,” Baker said. She added that stress affects teachers as well.

“For matric, there are huge expectations, not only from the parents but also from the schools” which are under pressure to record successful results, Baker said. “Part of the pressure also comes from the push to ‘catch up’ after Covid. This applies across schools.”

Pressure on learners

SADAG noted that the pressure may intensify during the matric season, but it manifests itself throughout the year. “The increased expectations of our learners of today begin long before that final stretch of exams, with rising levels of unemployment, increased emphasis on accessing tertiary education, and a global economic fallout contributing to high levels of anxiety,” it noted.

“It’s really important to change how we talk about final exams. Right now, there’s an enormous amount of pressure placed on the results of these exams, and it can make teens feel like their whole life depends on them,” said Roshni Parbhoo-Seetha, SADAG’s school’s outreach coordinator.

“While it is natural for learners to experience some form of anxiety or stress around exam time, the weight of the culmination of 12 years of school leading to one final examination can take a serious toll on a student. There is an increased amount of expectation from parents, teachers, schools, family and friends that can really exacerbate the ‘typical’ exam stresses to harmful levels. We want our matrics to understand that while these exams are certainly important, they are not more important than their mental health or their life, and the results do not set their fate in stone,” she said.

Study camps problem

The CIE’s Baker noted that some of the ways of preparing for exams can actually contribute to matric stress. “Of concern to us is the study camps which public and independent schools that write the National Senior Certificate are almost forced to attend. This means that young people have shortened holidays, and some schools have Saturday school all through the term. Of course, this is not good education practice and it begs the question of why this has to happen,” she said.

Baker said that the CIE has just launched a pilot mental health project, which has already confirmed that both learners and teachers are highly stressed. “The learners tell us that they have no one to talk to — so this isolation is very unhealthy. The pilot programme aims to help teachers become aware of and identify the needs of children, providing both support and referrals if they need help.”

However, she noted: “Some schools are able to deal with this. Most wealthy and some mid-income schools have school psychologists and/or counsellors — sometimes more than one — and wellness committees. Other schools have social workers or trained counsellors.” But other schools have no such facilities. “Here’s the crunch — there are too few social workers and psychologists,” Baker said.

Abolishing matric exams is not a practical solution at present. “There are different ways of assessing learners, but our system is very test/exam driven, and it starts in some schools in the foundation phase level. While the emphasis and hype on Grade 12 exams continues, there is little that can be done. Part of the problem is that the school system presently doesn’t have another measure of academic success. The system is stuck. Other ways involve continuous assessment, but getting standards across the board would be difficult,” Baker said.

So while we are stuck with a system that places a primacy on examinations, ways must be found to help learners who are feeling the pressure.

How to help matrics

“Supporting matric learners during their exams is not just about passing tests or getting the best results,” according to Chris Kemp, a clinical psychologist. “It’s about passing on the message that their well-being matters — that they are more important than a mark on a piece of paper. That regardless of the outcome of their exams, they are loved and accepted unconditionally. That we can emphasise — without detracting from the final exams’ importance — that their final results do not have to dictate the rest of their lives.”

There is life after disappointing matric results, Kemp noted in a paper issued by SADAG. “Learners have access to re-marking, supplementary exams, bridging courses or even alternative means of schooling and education. We as parents, teachers, family and loved ones, need to create an environment in which our youth feel safe to talk about their emotional experiences, to be mindful of their mental health, and keep an eye out for warning signs. By doing so, we help them succeed beyond the exams.”

SADAG emphasised that parents, caregivers and guardians play a crucial role in this. Many young people place a critical importance on the way their family feels about them. Families should therefore be mindful of what they are communicating. For example, the group counsels, ostensibly well-meaning phrases such as, “I know you’re going to do well, you’re so smart”, may inadvertently create a weight of expectation that could increase the pressure rather than help to motivate the learner.

“Try and start conversations around your child’s emotional experience or stress level, rather than their study schedule or readiness for the exam — shift the focus away from results and back to experience. Do not underestimate the importance of your capacity for understanding in your child’s life — your empathy is irreplaceable,” SADAG urged.

Spot warning signs

According to Dr Sebolelo Seape, chairperson of the Psychiatry Management Group, warning signs and symptoms of potential suicidal behaviour may include:

– changes in eating and sleeping habits,

– loss of interest in usual activities,

– neglect of personal appearance or hygiene,

– withdrawal from friends and family, or running away from home.

“Alcohol and substance abuse, unnecessary risk-taking behaviour, obsession with death and dying, and numerous physical complaints linked to emotional distress, are also signals, along with feelings of boredom, agitation, nervousness, sadness, loneliness or hopelessness,” she said.

“Some teenagers may actually pass verbal hints by talking about death and dying directly or indirectly, they may talk about wanting to die and begin to dispose of much-loved possessions, and they may write a suicide note. All threats of suicide must be taken seriously.”

Resources to help

Every year SADAG provides support, help and a safe space for matric learners through a free support group and interactive live sessions on coping skills. Coping tips, help and resources for learners, parents, families and teachers are available at sadag.org.

Learners or teachers who are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, depressed or are thinking about suicide or harming themselves can reach out to a counsellor on SADAG’s 24/7 toll-free suicide helpline at 0800 567-567, 0800 456-789 or 0800 12-1314, or SMS 31393 and a counsellor will call back. Contact can also be made via WhatsApp on 087 163 2030 (seven days a week from 8:00 to 17:00).

“The most important thing to remember is that there is always help available,” SADAG said.