Depression among students has now become a serious problem on college and school campuses. Experts talk on how to recognise the symptoms and battle it out of one’s system.
A first-year engineering student in Kochi attempted suicide allegedly due to ragging by senior students. – September 27
A 19-year-old medical student allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the quarry waters of Vetal Tekdi, Pune. – September 23
An 18-year-old commerce student committed suicide by jumping in front of a train at a railway station in Muzaffarnagar. – August 5
A first-year engineering student committed suicide in Thiruvananthapuram allegedly due to the fear of losing a year after failing in the examination. – August 5
Students committing suicide is almost becoming part of everyday news. In another incident, a first-year student of fine arts in Hyderabad recently committed suicide. In his notebooks recovered by the police, he had written, “Why am I unable to study well? Why am I so scared of everything? Why am I unable to mingle with anyone? ... Why am I always unhappy?”
Shyam (name changed), a content writer who suffered from depression in college, recalls, “It starts with anxiety and is fuelled by low self-esteem. And slowly, it starts increasing. A traumatic incident in one’s life or other reasons can trigger it. One starts to think that he or she is causing problems to everyone around them. This can lead to a mix of emotions such as fear and so on. Mood swings happen often, too, which disturbs the sleep pattern. Either one sleeps a lot or barely sleeps. When these emotions become really strong, one starts getting suicidal thoughts.
“Normally, people treat obstacles as ups and downs in life and try to overcome them. But for someone suffering from depression, who thinks he or she is a loser, even small losses seem huge. This leads to increase in agitation and one reaches a ‘that’s it’ stage,” explains Shyam.
Dr. Sumathi Chandrasekaran, founder, Neha Foundation, and a developmental psychologist, says that the seeds of depression are sown during the teenage years, a time when youngsters are still trying to discover themselves. High expectations from parents and teachers and the pressure to score good marks can sometimes have an adverse impact on students. If they fail, disapproval awaits. It can also be caused by family issues such as the mother and father going through a divorce or issues with siblings.
Another major factor that contributes to this problem is parents forcing their wards to join a course they are not interested in, explains Dr. Ravi Samuel, a Chennai-based psychotherapist. Students go ahead with it due to parental pressure, but are not able to cope up with the rigour of the course and end up dropping out. This takes a toll on their confidence.
“Bullying and ragging, prevalent in several colleges, are other major contributors. The sad part is that this is perpetuated by their friends. It has a terrible impact on sensitive students and can even drive them to commit suicide,” he says.
And how much of a problem is rejection by the opposite sex? “This has been less of a cause since the last five years. Earlier, failed relationships used to be the problem. But these days, youngsters have multiple relationships. So if one relationship doesn’t work out, they are not devastated. Also, I find the younger generation more practical about love failures. Though they are affected by it initially, they gradually recover from it,” says Dr. Ravi.
Symptoms
“Students suffering from depression get irritated easily. A feeling of guilt also persists. When they do not get their parents’ approval, they feel they have done something wrong. Sometimes, they feel like they are being punished. This leads to sadness, and, after a while, intensifies into depression,” explains Dr. Sumathi.
A critical problem is that people are not able to distinguish between ordinary sadness and depression. Speaking about how to identify a clinically depressed person, Dr. Sumathi says, “People undergoing depression are extremely vulnerable. Either they indulge in excessive eating or don’t eat much. Another core clinical feature is Anhedonia, where they lose interest in the things they used to enjoy doing, such as watching TV, going out with friends, and so on.” This is when suicide ideation happens. In extreme cases, the idea becomes a reality.
Way forward
“Efforts should be made to improve the studying style of students. They need to understand what they are studying and not merely mug up. Also, they should not aim for 100 per cent perfection as this can lead to a lot of stress. Parents should let them pursue the field they are interested in,” explains Dr. Manju Mehta, clinical psychologist, AIIMS, New Delhi.
“Another thing that needs to change is students’ perception of exams and competitions. They should focus on getting into their desired field rather than scoring the highest in various subjects. Cognitive behaviour therapy is also an effective solution,” adds Dr. Manju.
Parents and siblings have an important role to play, says Dr. Sumathi. “These days, parents are not connected to their kids. They are so busy with their own lives that they do not pay attention to what is going on in their lives. If parents are involved in what their kids are doing, they can easily identify the withdrawal symptoms,” she explains.
For a long-term solution, care has to been taken right from the formative years, emphasises Dr. Sumathi. “The most important thing parents should do is to give importance, value and respect to their children. It is important for the parents to approve and accept the child the way he or she is,” she says.
For Shyam, his hobbies helped him find solace. “Distracting oneself by doing what one likes really helps. If one keeps thinking about the problems, the depression intensifies. For me, writing stories helped me go beyond my sorrows and problems,” he says. What about seeking the help of a psychotherapist? “The last thing a person suffering from depression wants to do is talk to a psychotherapist. But it does help to an extent. Initially one locks up oneself and refuses to talk. Then you get the feeling that if you want to get away from there, you’ll have to cook up some story. But most of the times, they are really nice people, and I ended up sharing my story. Sometimes you get the feeling that maybe you should not tell them everything, but by the end of it you gain so much trust in them that you feel comfortable confining everything,” he explains.
“Medicines do provide a feeling of numbness, but in the long term, after their effect wears off, the ‘demons’ come back. I think it is all about helping yourself. If you want to get out of it, make the effort to do so,” he adds.
Lack of counsellors
In a country that perhaps needs student counsellors the most, there is a critical shortage of trained professionals. “Though colleges have started programmes in counselling psychology, the practicum is missing. Instead of focusing on the practical skills, there is an overload of theory,” says Dr. R. Subhashini, dean and head of department, counselling psychology, Madras School of Social Work.
“Even though year after year the government and vice-chancellors keep saying that counselling should be part of academic institutions, not many have taken it seriously or have ended up compromising on the quality. Generally, educational institutes appoint anybody in the name of a counsellor and make them do other jobs as well,” she says.
Why is it essential to have trained counsellors? Dr. Subhashini explains, "Having a psychology background, either at the undergraduate or postgraduate level, helps in moulding one’s personality as per the requirements of the job. It is essential for them to have an understanding of different types of personality, various emotions, how people express themselves, what the coping mechanisms are, and so on.”
