Exams are a tough time in every kid’s life. Usually, it’s not the level of difficulty or the study material that makes a student collapse, but the pressure, mostly. It could be peer pressure or even parental pressure to ace the exams, but the point is that it does exist.

JWB met a woman who takes care of children suffering from depression due to the ever-increasing level of competition in academics. Dr. Anita Gautam works as a Psychiatrist at the Gautam Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur. She also introduced us to her Father-in-law, Dr. Shiv Gautam, a nationally acknowledged Psychiatrist.

Me: Students are often fickle-minded and have a hard time figuring out their field of education. On the other hand, there are some students who are determined but face a lack of parental support. Why is that?

Dr. Anita: The society has set some norms, which dictate that your child should either be a Doctor or an Engineer. The main concern of the parents should be the child’s well-being and success. But, the definition of success is different for everyone. However, things are changing. Parents who have faced these situations as children are bringing about that change. My message to all parents is to spend more time with your child and try to understand what it is that he/she wants to do. Push them, encourage them in that direction! And never forget that constant scolding can damage the personality of a child.

Me: Have you seen any transformations in the academic structures that help ease the stress and pressure exerted upon children?

Dr. Anita: Well, the grading system has been introduced. The Grading system is basically a window of marks assigned to a particular alphabet. If A+ lies from 85 to 100, parents or even children themselves wouldn’t be able to create a differentiation on the basis of marks! This method has also ensured a reduction in academic pressure on students.

Me: Did you come face-to-face with such a crisis too, as a student?

Dr. Anita: It was during my final year of college. I had to take my Gynaecology tests, and at the last moment, I decided to give up. I placed my books aside and that’s when my friends helped me revise the entire course, which helped make things easier for me.

Me: What do you recommend students for their examinations?

Dr. Anita: It’s best to do it in three steps: Memorize. Revise. Write it down. It is recommended to the students to make as many ray diagrams and flow charts as possible. It shows the answer more clearly, saves greater time and cools the mind down. 

Me: If a student has been consistently having suicidal thoughts, what should be done?

Dr. Anita: It is an emergency and a clear sign of depression. They should seek help from a Doctor if such thoughts are occurring more than once a week.

Me: How can parents recognize these symptoms?

Dr. Anita: If the child doesn’t spend much time with his parents, then it’s a red flag. If you notice that your child is not communicating with you, stays shut inside his room, cries to himself and not studying, avoids seeing or meeting his friend, it’s a cry for help! Talk to him. Let him speak. Hear him out. And don’t expect him to pour his heart out all at once. It will take time. Gain his confidence. 

Me: Why do parents hesitate in taking their child for a visit to the Psychiatrist?

Dr. Anita: This is only a stigma. Do you ever lie when you have to get your blood pressure checked? Then why do that in the case of mental illnesses? There’s nothing wrong with it! We’re here, in fact, to help you. If someone is ill physically, only one person gets treated, but where mental illness is concerned, an entire village is treated off the discomfort.

Me: Please share some tips for those children battling exam pressure.

Dr. Anita: Learn through mnemonics. For example, the periodic table. Remember how we used to make up sentences to memorize the entire table? In MBBS, we had to mug up lists of drugs altogether. 

Similarly, our short-term memory can hold up to only 7 items at a time. Any information that exceeds it, automatically gets deleted. That’s why we advise students to learn in seven clusters. Have you noticed how phone numbers are written in groups?  180-379-7567? They are written that way for a reason.

Also, during exams, students should avoid fatty or sugar rich diet as they encourage sleep. Diet should be rich in protein. Increase the intake of yoghurt, fruits, and nuts. Throw in fifteen minutes of exercise you’re good to go.

When you begin to study, don’t continue for more than 45 minutes. That’s the attention span of a human brain. Take a short break post it. Remember, even a lecture duration is always about forty-five to fifty minutes only.

Buckle up kids, be stress-free and nail those exams. And even if your marks aren’t good enough, do not forget that some of the brightest minds were college dropouts or they just really sucked at studies!

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