The increasing incidence of student suicides in India has prompted a significant uptick in requests for student counseling, with a reported surge of over 65% in the last year alone, according to recent observations. Disturbingly, between 2019 and 2021, 35,950 students lost their lives to suicide, with a student taking their own life every 42 minutes in 2020, according to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB).

The prevalent pain points identified by students seeking counseling include difficulty concentrating on studies, academic distress due to performance pressure and test anxiety, fear of failure, lack of motivation, disturbed sleep, recurring negative thoughts and self-doubts, low energy, relationship issues, and general anxiety about the future.

The rise in students seeking counseling is seen as a positive sign, indicating a growing awareness of the impact counseling can have on psychological well-being. Digital and social media addiction, along with a lack of effective guidance, are identified as major contributors to students' inability to concentrate, emphasizing the need for preventive care.

Addressing the crisis and focusing on prevention, Neeraj Kumar, Founder & CEO of PeakMind, emphasizes the importance of creating an emotionally supportive and intellectually enriching environment for individuals to thrive. The Union Ministry of Education has also introduced draft UMMEED (Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathize, Empower, Develop) guidelines, prioritizing the establishment of School Wellness Teams (SWT) to identify vulnerable students and provide the necessary support. These guidelines also stress the importance of positive self-esteem, peer support, and life skills to enhance students' resilience in dealing with conflicts, failures, and rejection.

The private and government sectors are urged to actively contribute to creating a safe and conducive environment for healthy psychological development and support, with the expectation that such efforts will yield promising results over time.

News Source: India Today