School students top suicide tally
School students accounted for more than half of the student suicides reported in Bangladesh during the first eight months of 2026, highlighting growing concerns over mental health pressures facing young people, according to data compiled by the Aachol Foundation.
At least 224 student deaths by suicide were reported during the period, including 117 school students, 50 university students, 47 college students and 10 madrasa students. Female students accounted for 132 of the deaths, compared with 92 males.
The figures are based on media reports and do not constitute an official national suicide mortality count.
Mental health professionals and rights advocates raised concerns over the trend at an event titled “From Silence to Action: Changing the Narrative on Suicide Among Youth”, organised by the Aachol Foundation and the Human Rights Development Centre (HRDC) at Dhaka Reporters Unity ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day.
They called for stronger prevention and mental health services, greater awareness and reform of the law that criminalises attempted suicide.
State Minister for Health and Family Welfare MA Muhit said social stigma remained a major obstacle to suicide prevention, with families often concealing adolescent suicide deaths because of fear of social judgement.
He proposed a campaign carrying the message “It’s good to talk”, saying open communication could help reduce isolation and emotional distress.
“The government wants to work with professionals and social organisations to link grassroots mental health services with tertiary centres,” he said.
Muhit also said technology, including tele-counselling, could help widen access to mental health support. He acknowledged that criminalising suicide contributed to stigma.
Gaps in prevention
In his keynote address, Dr Sayedul Islam Sayed, lead psychiatrist at Aachol, said Bangladesh lacked a reliable national suicide surveillance system.
Aachol’s monitoring recorded 403 student suicides in 2025, with school students accounting for 190, or 47.4%. The number stood at 532 in 2022, 513 in 2023 and 310 in 2024.
He identified depression, family problems, cyberbullying, academic pressure, financial stress, loneliness, gender-based violence and stigma among the factors contributing to suicide among students.
He recommended establishing suicide prevention cells at universities, training teachers to identify students at risk and introducing life-skills education covering resilience, digital wellbeing and help-seeking.
WHO mental health officer Hasina Momotaz said the WHO and the government had trained 40 master trainers, who subsequently trained 488 schoolteachers and reached about 20,000 students.
Mental health services are being piloted in 10 districts through 19 centres, while a 2026-2030 action plan is being drafted with WHO support, she said.
Dr Saifun Nahar, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said suicide could be associated with several mental health conditions and urged people to listen to those experiencing emotional distress.
Prof Kamal Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury of Dhaka University’s Clinical Psychology Department described Section 309 of the Penal Code as a major obstacle to suicide prevention.
Barrister Naufat Zamir, founder of Insight for Change Foundation, also called for legal reform, saying criminalisation was a colonial-era legacy that hindered support for survivors.
Writer Gawhar Nayeem Wara called for government-led programmes targeting students and parents following SSC and HSC results, when young people may face heightened academic and family pressures.
HRDC CEO Mahbul Haque said survivors of torture, violence and detention often experienced long-term trauma. HRDC Director Jianur Kabir announced plans for 500 community-level suicide prevention programmes nationwide.
Ashraful Anwar Rosen of DIGNITY warned that survivors of state torture and rights violations could develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), potentially increasing their suicide risk.
Aachol Foundation President Mohammad Tansen said the campaign sought to break the silence surrounding depression and suicide and shift the focus from awareness to concrete action.
