In a world where cut-throat competition is the order of the day and marks play a vital role in shaping students’ future, it is no secret that Indian youth face mounting pressure to excel in academics and secure a notable position in a respectable field. “The common concept is that if you’re able to give a decent education to your children, then they will have a better life,” explains Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar, a Chennai-based psychiatrist and the founder of Sneha, a foundation dedicated to suicide prevention. However, this mentality, while proven to be constructive at times, can also have disastrous effects. India has some of the world’s highest instances of unhealthy stress, anxiety, depression, and suicide amongst youth. The issue of mental health among Indian students needs increasing awareness, especially in large southern cities like Chennai.
Tamasaa Ramanujam, a former high school student, explains that examination stress and the pressure to achieve is likely to be one of the leading causes of mental health issues amongst teens. She points out that though there is often a focus on accomplishment in examinations, the resulting anxiety and depression are brought up “quite rarely…maybe once a year.” Tamasaa isn’t alone. Other students, including fellow graduate Varshini, agree that “the educational system focuses entirely on marks,” adding that practical knowledge and improved counselling programmes should be offered by schools.
CBSE announced that all secondary schools under its umbrella must have at least one part-time counsellor available on campus. Commendably, other schools, mostly private institutions, have followed this lead. In fact, all students and schools interviewed stated that there was a school counsellor employed. Whether or not students feel comfortable approaching the counselor, however, is a different issue.
“Not many approached the counsellor if they needed help,” says Tamasaa. “I don’t think most of them ever knew there was a counsellor.” Unfortunately, the situation in Tamasaa’s school reflects those in most other institutions that were interviewed. Why students fail to establish contact with their school counsellor is a question that needs to be addressed not only in Chennai, but in schools worldwide.
There are multiple possible answers — a large student-counsellor ratio, fear of being ridiculed by peers, or maybe the presence of only one counsellor per school regardless of the school’s population. However, the key reason is most likely the relationship between students and faculty.
The principal of a small local institution states that the issue lies in students’ reluctance to speak openly about their problems. “They are not at all open unless we talk to them for a long period,” she says.
Tamasaa disagrees. She believes that the crux of the problem is that the counsellors are ill-equipped to deal with depression — they aid children with career choices but rarely address heavier issues regarding mental health. Moreover, the counsellors at Tamasaa’s school did not have a list of mental health experts to contact, in case children needed professional help. If a student does want professional assistance, it is extremely hard for them to receive that assistance independently.
“Normally, if the student meets outside experts, they won’t take them unless the school refers them…otherwise parents’ consent must be given,” says the principal of a K-12 institution.
Though private institutions have gained some ground in counselling programmes, the same cannot be said about government and government-aided schools. Unfortunately, speaking to students from this school was not permitted, so the only information about mental health programmes in these schools came from principals and faculty members.
“We don’t have a counsellor,” says an administrator of a government-aided establishment. “As an independent school, we don’t have any such [mental health] programmes, because we are under the government.”
A teacher at the same school adds that the government sends its own representatives to educate the school’s students about a myriad topics such as AIDS awareness, life skills, and stress management — but the teacher did not mention depression or suicide. Who do students turn to if they have a mental health or personal issue?
“All the teachers,” responds the administrator. The teachers are given training every six months on how to spot students who may be suffering from anxiety, depression, and similar issues. The scenario is better in other government-aided schools that have a counsellor, or at least an off-campus resource for students to cope with stress — but counselling programmes have not reached a level of consistency and universality.
A solution to this issue is holding seminars on mental health. For instance, Tamasaa states that her school has “a few workshops… psychologists from the city come and conduct workshops and how to handle stress."
She adds that these workshops are mandatory, which means that students will become more educated on mental health regardless of whether or not they consider those issues important. However, the seminars, according to Tamasaa, are “very basic” and don’t discuss topics such as suicide and depression head-on. Is this due to a taboo against suicide and depression? The answer to that question remains obscure.
“India is a great country, and we produce brilliant minds,” says a founding member of a mental health organisation in India. He/she is right—India has experienced overwhelming occupational success, becoming one of the leading technology centres of the globe and holding a reputation for producing top-class professionals.
Yes, this achievement stems largely from a rigorous schooling system. However, it is important that these accomplishments do not blanket the struggles of many students who are buckling under the pressure to succeed.
