Suicide among Turkish university students has become worryingly common, with two more students taking their own lives in the space of one month, the Tr724 news website reported.
One male student, who name was not disclosed to the media, jumped out the window of his dorm room on Wednesday night. He was staying at a dorm run by the Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institutions (KYK) in Istanbul and was a student at Yıldız Technical University.
Another student, Ömer Can, died by suicide in the same dormitory on February 6. Can was a student in the department of naval architecture and marine engineering at Yıldız Technical University. His friends said Can had become withdrawn in the last days of his life.
The university has not issued a statement concerning either death.
In previous interviews with local media, university students have said high living costs and the uncertainty surrounding their future has caused several of their friends to take their own lives.
Resul A., a student in Eskişehir Anadolu University, took his own life by hanging himself in the university dining hall in October 2023. According to his friends, the young man had financial difficulties and could not attend his classes.
His friends protested the increased cost of living following his suicide and said financial problems had become very common. Students also expressed their disappointment with the university administration for not acknowledging the reasons behind Resul A.’s death or offering students support to deal with their problems.
Resul A.’s death is not an isolated incident as two more students died by suicide that same month. Media reports said students were struggling with poor living conditions in state-run dormitories, poor food quality, lack of security, the cutting off of basic amenities such as electricity and water; the lack of proper furniture and operational elevators; overcrowded rooms; and issues with public transportation that lead to long lines to take a bus to school.
Sanitation is another significant concern for students due to overcrowded units. Toilets and bathrooms can lack running water. Some students use water bottles for bathing due to this lack of water. The authorities are generally unresponsive to these issues.
These conditions lead to psychological problems for some students, and some cannot handle the pressure.
