Helplines see rise in advice seekers
Mumbai: Fifteen-year-old Sharmila Gupta’s worst nightmare is she will forget everything when she sits down for her ICSE board exams on Friday. I’ve revised everything 100 times but I’m still nervous, says the teenager who now has a psychiatrist on speed dial for stress-busting tips.
From fear of blackouts, mounting tension, inability to sleep to pressure from parents, helplines are flooded with calls from many who are working themselves into a frenzy over the board exams.
We get seven to 10 calls a day, up from the five we usually see on other days. Nearly 50 % of them are from students who want a comforting ear, said Johnson Thomas, director of Aasra who described the helpline as a listening service which helps students talk about their feelings and vent their stress. Sharmila, for one, has been dilligently following a counsellor’s advice to take regular breaks and sleep early.
Interestingly, it’s not always children, even parents dial in with complaints. Adolescent psychiatrist Anjali Chabbria who recently started a youth helpline (32421111), tags the phenomena as exam anxiety. We have parents complaining that kids are watching too much TV or are not sleeping enough, says a counsellor who mans the line, adding that students are often looking for quick study programmes.
(Names of students have been changed)
(Names of students have been changed)
HELP JUST A CALL AWAY
Aasra: 27546669 (3 pm to 9pm)
Avishkar: 24227515 (12 to 6 pm)
Blessings Careline: 32598000 (10 am to 4 pm)
Mindtemple: 32421111 (8 am to 6 pm)
Samaritans: 32473267 (3 to 9pm on weekdays, 10 to 9 weekends)
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