On August 24, a Form One student hung himself in the bathroom of his house in Georgetown, Penang, shortly after complaining of having too much homework. George Town police chief Che Zaimani Che Awang told Bernama that the boy’s parents mentioned that he often talked about being overwhelmed with homework and on that fateful night, the boy’s mother had asked him to finish his schoolwork after she received a call from his teacher about his performance in school.
The boy was discovered when he went to bathe, but still did not come out of the bathroom after 30 minutes. Worried, his father broke down the bathroom door and found the boy hanging from a towel. He brought the boy down and tried to resuscitate him. The boy was brought to the Penang Hospital in an ambulance but died on the way there.
It is unfortunate but depression is very real. It comes in many forms and spectrums, not knowing age, gender and skin colour. There were comments online saying that the boy’s decisions were rash and that he was being overdramatic, but the sad truth is that he was feeling burdened, and took the only way out he knew.
While we may never truly know what he went through, speculating on his actions does no good to anyone. If you ever feel alone or need someone to talk to, you can call the Befrienders at 03-7956 8145.
