The toughest part of the year is finally here for Class X and Intermediate students in the State, with final exams either set to begin shortly or in some cases already under way.
Already weighed down by a gruelling academic workload, students also have to deal with unrealistically high expectations from family members. Many of them would also have their own inner demons to deal with, such as depression.
Sadly, depression is an often-overlooked aspect, as is evident by the numbers. In the last 15 years, close to 45 students, all from Class X and Intermediate classes, have committed suicide in the city. Police say that 95% of the suicides were committed due to academic pressure.
Gradual process
Depression caused by academic pressure is not something that happens in one day, but is built over several months, or in some cases, even years, says M.V.R. Raju, a senior professor in the Department of Psychology at Andhra University.
"Pressure starts building at home, with children being urged to perform exceedingly well in Class X and Intermediate exams so that they can get into good engineering or medical colleges. Once the students get sucked into this rat race, it is difficult to get out as the young minds get sucked into it deeper with every passing day and begin pushing themselves to succeed," said Prof. Raju.
Psychologists warn that pushing children into pursuing a particular line of study without knowing if he/she is interested in making a career out of it would certainly lead to stress and depression, often with dangerous consequences.
South fares poorly
According to a report from the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), the prevalence of suicides among teenagers due to academic pressure is higher in the southern states than in any other part of the country.
According to the Bala Vikas Foundation (BVF), there are a number of scientifically-proven methods to assess a student’s intelligence level and his or her personal choices. "Parents need not to go an expert to find out their children’s interests. All they need to do is spend some quality time to assess them in a friendly way. But in the present day, that quality time is missing," say psychologists.
According to Dr. Himakar of the Government Hospital for Mental Care, symptoms of depression such as withdrawal symptom can be easily identified, and parents and friends should immediately take note of it and consult an expert.
No helpline
Though it is mandatory to have a helpline for students struggling with academic pressure or depression, the State government has failed to put one in place.
Visakhapatnam District Education Officer Lingeswara Reddy admitted that there are no helpline numbers in place.
A couple of years back, KGH used to maintain a toll-free number for counselling depressed students who were unable to handle academic stress. However, it has now gone defunct due to lack of patronage.