Eighteen-year-old M. Hemanth (name changed), a student of a private intermediate college in the city, is all set to appear for his Intermediate examinations scheduled to begin from Wednesday. For the past week, Hemanth’s family is worried that he is behaving strangely, avoiding everyone and isolating himself to his room. His parents fear that he might be suffering with depression.
“Every time examinations are round the corner, I undergo a lot of stress. People suggest me to do yoga or to read books. But I am restless and agitated right until the moment I see the question paper,” says Hemanth.
Hemanth is not a stray case. There are many who face a lot of stress ahead of exams, and end up battling various forms of depression.
This year, about 10.6 lakh students are going to appear for the Intermediate examination. However, despite a visible trend of students suffering from depression, the government has failed to launch even a single dedicated helpline for vulnerable students, prompting many parents to knock on the doors of private psychologists in the city.
As the exam dates approach, the number of calls from distressed parents rises with every passing day, say psychologists.
High pressure
“Some students feel that even though they have prepared well, they will not be able to meet the expectations of their family, friends and teachers. Some even feel that they will not be able to pass the exam, and go into depression,” a psychologist told The Hindu.
Depression, if not recognised and treated in time, could lead to suicidal tendencies, he added.
A couple of years back, Visakhapatnam used to have a toll-free number at KGH for counselling depressed students unable to handle academic pressure.
However, it was closed due to lack of volunteers and proper support from the government.
Taking a toll
According to Visakhapatnam City Police, since 2013, over 25 students ended their lives due to academic pressure in the city. Police add that in most of the cases, the age group varies between 14 to 19 years, and the students are of Class IX, X or Intermediate.
“During this particular academic phase of March to May, the pressure from schools or corporate junior colleges, peer groups and parents are at the highest level,” said a senior police officer from the city.
District Education Officer Visakhapatnam Lingeswara Reddy admitted that there are no helpline numbers and there are no proposals at present to get a helpline of some sort up and running in the near future.
“In schools, we have asked teachers to counsel students and monitor them for depression. Colleges are also following the same”, he said.