Pressures of being top university students

"More and more top university students commit suicide due to anxiety and depression. They had no problem in their high school days." Although this sounds like South Korea, it was broadcasted in the U.S. The New York Times published an article titled "Suicide on Campus and the Pressure of Perfection," in July last year. It reported that six students from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014, six students from Cornell University in 2010 and four students from Tulane University in 2013 committed suicide.

"All my friends are smart and pretty and their parents are rich. I tried so hard to get good grades, but I could not. I wanted to kill myself," confessed Kathryn DeWitt, a student at the University of Pennsylvania. More than half of students who visited university mental health counseling reportedly were depressed due to frustrating competitions and fears of failure. Especially students of top universities who graduated high school with straight As felt as if their life was falling apart when they got a B.

"Students made it into top universities to meet expectations from their parents and society. However, they are now experiencing anxiety, frustration, despondency, demotivation, and isolation," said William Deresiewicz, the author of "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life." This book explores inside the mind of top university students. It points out that such students are trained like top athletes in a system where they are taught to focus on success, not learning. They are controlled by fear and their top aim is life security.

Students of Seoul National University seem to be in the same serious situation. SNU launched a risk management committee against a backdrop of an increasing number of cases in counseling for suicidal thoughts as well as five actual suicides last year, an increase from the prior annual average of one or two. The committee will divide all students into three groups: healthy group, vulnerable group, and desperate group, and provide counseling services accordingly. Some university students are promoting a campaign to eliminate "Penn Face (forced smile)" and "Duck Syndrome" (looking calm outside but desperate inside). The message in this campaign for students is, "Stop pretending you are okay when you are not." There is nothing more precious than life. A happy life is only possible with a healthy mentality.

허문명국제부장 angelhuh@donga.com