hsc related suicides, iv heard about 20 this year (3 Viewers)

[jellybeenz]

This has been the most stressful 2 months of my life. I can definitely see how people could resort to committing suicide. Sure other factors are involved, but the way I've been feeling lately, I really can see how the emptiness and despair of not achieving your goals and reaching the expectations of others in the HSC could contribute to the mental state of someone, causing them to take their own life.

 

[Cactus]

Trust me if the HSC is the most stress you have ever had; you are lucky. There are a lot worse things in the world; and often there are no set dates for when they begin and end (unlike HSC).

But you're right it can and does contribute.

 

[somborac]

as someone before me said, different people get raised in different families, and hence have different expectations. Imagine if you are expected to get over 90 UAI but you are having doubts ull get over 80. questiosn such as "what will my parents think?", "what will the family-friends think?", "am i a failiour?", "how am i seen among the society now"... high expectations lead to high pressure put on individuals, and these people were looking for this day of HSC year till year 7 and they were all doing fine and just happend to make a mistake on the HSC year leading to suicide...so i here call upon all people, great and small, to tell me the degree of pressure u r put under by your parents (especially asins coz it is seen that asians and indians are the ones who always study hard)...for my self my parents put me under high expectations, and i am european, they expect me to get over 85 coz my family friend had over 85. if i dont, they wont beat me but rather say "we gave u, what u wanted and the rest was up to u".

 

[Farcanell]

Just out of interest, do we have any actual solid points of comparison here? Certainly the statistics cited in the first source seem quite alarming, but in order to suggest that the HSC is worth outlawing as the poster did one would probably require statistics from other nations first as a way of putting them into perspective.

Also does anyone know where the figure came from? There's certainly a lot of empirical evidence out there but does anyone know if there are actual statistics collected on the number of HSC related deaths, and if so what they are?

Although it must be said, Australia's system of a standardised university entry test is inconsistent with the developed world. Certainly in the USA and Canada, university entry is based on one's school report and a scaling system based on the rankings of each individual school. Whether that's a good thing or not I don't know... from what I've seen their ranking system leads to a little more ambiguity than what we have here.

As for the state of things around Asia, with students studying 18 hours a day just to come average... that probably won't continue. Its a sad fact, but when the new generation of Asian students grow up and realise how their childhoods were wasted and their creativity and individuality was stymied by an education system based solely around rote learning, its unlikely they'll be nearly so keen to push a similar system upon their own children. From an article I read a while back, students in India spend over a year trying to prepare entrance exams to India's top university, the India Institute of Technology. What makes things stranger is that the exam, sat for engineering and science disciplines, is basically a giant mental arithmetic test, testing skills made completely redundant since the invention of the calculator.

I guess all that can be said from this is that with the flaws inherent in both the Western and the Asian university entry models, its going to be interesting where things head from here...

 

[malkin86]

i concur! >>>The HSC needs to be modified

its a shame that this kind of change is such a slow process... to begin with, the gov't and BoS should pay more attention to the opinions of those 65,000+ students sitting thru the new HSC... senior years were surely a lot less stressful back in their day when the HSC was known as the Intermediate Certificate. The suicide rates of 17-18 yr olds today should be enough to catalyse some reform.

Those now suffering this torture must make their voices heard >> CHANGE THE SYSTEM
but who will, and in what way?
personally i think there are too many factors involved in this topic - HSC improvement seems distant to me...

The trouble is that by the time anyone's in a position to do anything (done a few degrees, gone their way up the ranks at the Board) , they've forgotten what it was like to sit the HSC.

From there, we get such ideas as "Let's make people study the marriage breakup and unstable psychological state of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes for Telling the Truth, because they were both great writers!"

 

[Cactus]

The trouble is that by the time anyone's in a position to do anything (done a few degrees, gone their way up the ranks at the Board) , they've forgotten what it was like to sit the HSC.

From there, we get such ideas as "Let's make people study the marriage breakup and unstable psychological state of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes for Telling the Truth, because they were both great writers!"

English teachers in general are out of touch with reality as far as I'm concerned lol

 

[sayuru]

iv got a few things to say here, but hear me out, firstly moderator, please do not change the place of this forum, it seems to attracting quite a number of ppl and i would like to see how ppl feel abt this topic

Thats exactly right. The HSC isn't that stressful. If you can't deal with the HSC how can you deal with life?
Secondly, how else is everyone throughout the entire state going to be fairly and evenly marked if there is no HSC?

indeed i agree that there are times where the hsc pressure seems like nothing, but the hsc pressure at our AGE is unnecassary, and when those harder times come along, most likely it will be wen we are older and mroe ready to handle them. Many people right now are going through changes and questioning alot of things we do not need this inferior system that demands so much

I think we should be careful about labelling a suicide 'HSC related'. Normal ppl dont all of a sudden crumble under pressure of the HSC and try to kill themselves. There is often an underlying condition or situation which leads up to the attempted suicide. I kno someone whose family situation was the main 'cause' of their (unsucessful) suicide attempt, but the family wouldn't accept that and instead labelled it as HSC related

The hsc may not be the sole factor as to why ppl commit suicide, but im willing to bet my life that it is one hell of a huge contributing factor. the pressure of the hsc mainly adds to mental illness effects such as depression etc, usually normal ppl dont commit suicide it takes sum trauma to get to the stage where u want to commit suicide, and if sumone has been suicidal in their lives before yr 12, it doesnt take much to revive those feelings. ONce the human mind has felt a certain an emotion it can relate to it more readily, its like riding a bike, u never really forget, sadly. In regards to family, yes family ties in strongly with suicide, but there are other things aswel, self esteem, lack of charisma, generally unwanted emotions. Mental illness ties in strongly with suicide.

I'm going out on a limb here without evidence but I would say that figure is nationwide and not just for NSW right?

nope, that figure is nsw only, and it aint going down

There was some guy at my school last year who suffered a nervous breakdown, but I haven't heard of any suicides.

I agree, it isn't that stressful. I think people forget that their peers are there who are gonig through the same thing as them. Support from people like your friends makes it a hell of a lot easier

Question for all u who think hsc isnt stressfuL? wat uai are u expecting did u do well? wat r ur lives generally like, do u have a gf/bf, dyu have supporting parents, decent social life etc. usualy ppl that find hsc stressful are those that dont do too well in it, and those saying it isnt stressful and hav "wonderful" lives, u are in no position to comment on how other ppl may feel abt the hsc.

Trust me if the HSC is the most stress you have ever had; you are lucky. There are a lot worse things in the world; and often there are no set dates for when they begin and end (unlike HSC).

But you're right it can and does contribute.

Yes there are much worse things, but by the time those much worse things come around hopefully it will b later in life when we’re less fragile and more experienced we can handle it

If u want to search for statistics go ahead, find the im sure the abs has some, but I doubt the BOARD OF STUDIES are goin to publish it as their headlines
"LOOK HOW MANY KIDS WE HELPED KILL THEMSELVES"

i just wish the govt, bob carr and who ever else would stop ignoring this, hsc has to be changed, does anyone even realize that our retention rates go through the roof, way more than any other developed country.

 

[somborac]

well said sayuru...sombody should report this thread to smh or daily telegraph, they seemed to read the ancient history thread....

 

[shazzam]

1. when those harder times come along, most likely it will be wen we are older and mroe ready to handle them.

2. The hsc may not be the sole factor as to why ppl commit suicide

3. Those saying it isnt stressful and hav "wonderful" lives, u are in no position to comment on how other ppl may feel abt the hsc.

4. Yes there are much worse things, but by the time those much worse things come around hopefully it will b later in life when we’re less fragile and more experienced we can handle it

5. i just wish the govt, bob carr and who ever else would stop ignoring this, hsc has to be changed, does anyone even realize that our retention rates go through the roof, way more than any other developed country.

1. Um, mid-life crisis? Post-natal trauma? Work-place anxiety? Being older doesn't guarantee that one is wiser, at least not in this respect. Rather, if Person A has suicidal tendencies and has a easy life as a teenager then Person A will more likely panic in later life when some minor problem actually will cause them to commit suicide, since they haven't been under stress before.

2. Exactly as you say. These people have psychological disorders: if the HSC didn't trigger their suicide then something else would have. Really, the HSC is only being used as a scapegoat for something that would eventually have happened (unless proper medical treatment was sought).

3. Now that's a presumption if there ever was one. It can be said, without doubt, that there are more sets of "pressure parents" than there are offspring who commit suicide. Though supportive friends may come into the equation, in the end it is a matter of strength of character.

4. Re: point 1

5. Any suggestions?

 

[malkin86]

There was a boy who committed suicide at my school a few years ago... They planted a tree in his name, with a plaque. Apparently everyone said he was a great guy and he had a lot going for him...

 

[utopia_parkway]

Does anyone know the exact number of suicides that have occured because of the hsc? i know that since 1996 there has been at least 110, it strikes me, that if the hsc was a "drug" the govt, media and whoever else that controls these type of things would have placed bans, placed jail sentences, criminalized and created alot of propaganda against it. The deaths related to hsc, are hushed up, any one know why? alot of people think that its not the hsc, but the whole pressure from the hinders the ability of those who suffer mental illness from recovering. Evidently im not a big supporter of the "higher school certificate"(who can memorize the most and regurgitate) and i strongly believe it should be revised or changed. 110 deaths over the last 8 years, im sure at least 3/4 of them could have been avoided if the hsc did not place such a burden on those people. Its funny how the board of studies(cowardly conservative bitches) hush up these issues.

And what do you propose they change it to fuckboy. No matter what system they put in place people will always be stressed about it because the HSC is and what ever system they replace it with will always be universities admission exam. So the only way to get rid of the stresses is to have more university places so that no one misses out.

I hate people that criticize what is being done and do not offer any solution, either think about what you are saying or shut the fuck up.

 

[Beck the Bimbo]

Some of you may never know what it is like to have an unsupportive family, To have to do the HSC all on your own with no-one but your friends to help you along. I feel for those people who have said they will be kicked out of home if they they dont get 90's that is unsupportive and stressful...I have to say to those people who called suicides weak..wake up..all they did was make bad decisions. Im sure that there are quite a few people on this forum who have though about suicide what do you call they semi-weak minded all because their parents are unsupportive and they have no-one in this world to share the stress with? Or a way to releive problems form their childhood... Suicides are not weak maybe you should try it sometime. It is one of the hardest things you will do. I am only alive today because i have friends who love me andcare about me enough to check up on me. Suicides are not weak just bad decision makers.

 

[honky tonk]

There's too much generalisation going on here..

The majority of you are fabricating reasons as to why these people took their own lives. Do you know who they are? Their names? Backgrounds? Emotional status? You can't just hear that "a person killed themselves during year 12" and immediately lump it into the category of HSC. With that presumption, you are suggesting that if they held off for a few months and committed suicides in March the next year, the "sole cause" would be university, or the workplace.

In saying that, do you realise how much higher the suicide rates are many years after the HSC? Maybe we should change the whole occupational system. Let's work only 3 hours a day, because our current system has too high a death rate from the stress of '9 to 5'. Sounds absurd, doesn't it?

 

[sayuru]

And what do you propose they change it to fuckboy. No matter what system they put in place people will always be stressed about it because the HSC is and what ever system they replace it with will always be universities admission exam. So the only way to get rid of the stresses is to have more university places so that no one misses out.

I hate people that criticize what is being done and do not offer any solution, either think about what you are saying or shut the fuck up.

u want a solution? how about they make it easier, less pressure maybe a better way of actualy testing us change the sylabuss. Im stil doing my hsc i got another exam left, when i finish i probably wil look into this, too many of my mates have dropped out, live on their own, have contemplated/attempted suicide. The system needs changing, its only efficient for the ppl that do well, i know alot of smart talented ppl who are goin thru sum tough times and if they cant fully embrace the commitment the hsc asks for. but i kno that if the load was less they wud excel. i find it funny how ppl like u try to act tough by calling ppl names online, and i bet if i met u in real life u wundt dream of saying anything that might even remotely provoke someone. just like to say i dont have any resentful feelings towards ppl that have done well in the hsc, and see no problems with it, but i do resent ppl that see a problem and ignore it.

 

[stoydgen]

(especially asins coz it is seen that asians and indians are the ones who always study hard)...

Heh of course we get put under alot of pressure, more then half the time our parents moved here for our education! I know i have expectations placed on me, but im one of the lucky ones where i aint gonna get disowned if i don't get 99.999999999999 UAI. My parents know how stressful the HSC is, and they know that at the end of the day, theres other ways into uni.

One things for sure but, it's assumed i go to uni. Not just by my parents, but by like everyone i know. Thats the daunting thought. If i don't get in, its gonna be like "oooo he didnt try hard enough blah blah". I'm gonna be the first grandkid to go to uni, and well that kinda puts the pressure on if i don't make it :|

 

[miranda]

English teachers in general are out of touch with reality as far as I'm concerned lol

off topic but cactus, i love you, it's so true - BOTH MY PARENTS ARE ENGLISH TEACHERS!

 

[LibbyBeaz]

i no wats its like to have drepression, ive had it twice, and the hsc just makes it worse in some cases cause with the pressure being put on you to do good it brings all those thoughts that in most cases will send you back. and all those ppl that say talk to someone, in reality not many ppl want to listern, trust me i should know.
i think if we just got rid of the fact that the hsc is made to look like the be all and end all, ppl will be fine, but in realitly that wont happen, to do anything you need a good mark, and that fact should be taken away, not everyone has the same abilities

 

[Crikket]

i agree with utopia parkway, the stress is always going to be there. so don't change the system, change the way people deal with the hsc. it's not the system that's the main cause of suicide... yes, it does have significance, but it's usually a trigger to the stress that's been building up.

like utopia parkway said, they should have more uni places, or at least some sort of support group for hsc students if they're not lucky enough to get support from their families.

 

[Katie123]

holy crap i never realised how high the suicide rate was for year 12 students over the past decade. 110? christ, 1 is too many in my opinion. This truly is a reflection of how imperfect the system really is at the moment. I know it is nowhere near as bad as some other countries (i heard that in south korea there is one single exam you sit and if you fuck it there is no way to get into uni), but that doesn't mean that the so called "hushing up" of youth/HSC related suicides can be justified. I just hope BOS and the state government will be able to pull their finger out over this one...

hushing it up ahs its pros and cons....maybe they cont want to see more kids doing it when they know others have but the HSC should be reduced to put less pressure on kids. + i think more parents who put pressure on kids should be told and made to understand that HSC is not the be all and end all of their kids lives.

 

[sayuru]

i agree with utopia parkway, the stress is always going to be there. so don't change the system, change the way people deal with the hsc. it's not the system that's the main cause of suicide... yes, it does have significance, but it's usually a trigger to the stress that's been building up.

like utopia parkway said, they should have more uni places, or at least some sort of support group for hsc students if they're not lucky enough to get support from their families.

yeah more uni places would be a good solution, but i disagree the system does need changing, it has way too much of a demand and they place too much emphasis on it. HSC may or may not be the sole cause, but if one has depression it does add to it greatly, and depression is so widespread in this country its not funny. Mental illness is why this country has a lower qulaity of life(or sumin else that measures the happiness of citizens in countries) than other developed countries, its not as high as it should be for a country that has got alot of oppurtunities and gives many rights to its citizens.

Suicide isnt the only thing that should be taken into consideration, the number of ppl that just give up because of the competition. I reckon they shudd have it earlier in the year like they do in america. that way they cant fit in all the crap that they make us learn, i duno abt u but iv stopped talking to alota ppl because the hsc has turned em into study obsessed zombies.