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MUMBAI: A sudden rise in the number of students seeking help from counsellors after the Covid pandemic has prompted the administration of IIT-Bombay to appoint more of them. While the institute had around six counsellors on board before the pandemic, it now plans to appoint nearly double the number.
The Wellness Centre at St Xavier’s College had just one counsellor for a long time. Four months ago, the college found the need to bring in one more counsellor for the centre as there was an unusual rise in the number of students seeking help.
These are not stray incidents. Psychiatrists and psychologists across the city are seeing a rise in mental health cases post the pandemic. Symptoms range from irritability, anger, being extremely touchy about smaller issues, reacting to small failures and distress over academics, among others.
Father Francis de Melo from the Xavier’s Wellness Centre said though the number does not exceed 5% of the total student population on the campus, it is an unusual rise compared with the prepandemic years. Over 50% of the students coming to the centre complaint about family problems. “There are problems at home, misunderstandings in relationships with friends and boy-girl issues. In many cases, students complain about their inability to do anything, and that they do not have any energy. There are cases of acute overthinking. These issues were always there, but these seem to have aggravated,” said Father de Melo. The question of what next over their academic future also concern s many students, he said.
An IIT-B professor said, “Counsellors are allowed to counsel only about eight to 10 students a day. Many students are unable to get appointments because the counsellors are swamped wi th requests. Therefore, we are planning to appointmore”.
He said they hope to get nearly twice the numbers of counsellors they had on campus before the pandemic, adding some could be on a part-time basis.
Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty said, “There is a 300% rise in cases of mental health after the pandemic. Long imprisonment behind closed doors is the most important cause . Financial issues, loss of loved ones and break in educational activities has precipitated the same,” he said. Instances of self-harm have also increased, he a dded.
He said many famili es feel lost as the frequency of distress among adults too have gone up. Teachers and parents are reporting increasing cases of aggression, excessive withdrawal and increase in quarrels in schools.
An IIT-Bombay professor said many students joining the institute find it tough to cope with pressure. “They start their IIT and NEETpreparation at a very young age, sometimes even when they are in cl ass VI or VIII due to the coaching classes phenomenon, and by the time they manage to crack the entrance test and enter the institute, they are burnt out. Soon after they enter, they have to f ace a mid-semester test in two months, and their poor performance may impact their mental health,” said the professor.
The Wellness Centre at St Xavier’s College had just one counsellor for a long time. Four months ago, the college found the need to bring in one more counsellor for the centre as there was an unusual rise in the number of students seeking help.
These are not stray incidents. Psychiatrists and psychologists across the city are seeing a rise in mental health cases post the pandemic. Symptoms range from irritability, anger, being extremely touchy about smaller issues, reacting to small failures and distress over academics, among others.
Father Francis de Melo from the Xavier’s Wellness Centre said though the number does not exceed 5% of the total student population on the campus, it is an unusual rise compared with the prepandemic years. Over 50% of the students coming to the centre complaint about family problems. “There are problems at home, misunderstandings in relationships with friends and boy-girl issues. In many cases, students complain about their inability to do anything, and that they do not have any energy. There are cases of acute overthinking. These issues were always there, but these seem to have aggravated,” said Father de Melo. The question of what next over their academic future also concern s many students, he said.
An IIT-B professor said, “Counsellors are allowed to counsel only about eight to 10 students a day. Many students are unable to get appointments because the counsellors are swamped wi th requests. Therefore, we are planning to appointmore”.
He said they hope to get nearly twice the numbers of counsellors they had on campus before the pandemic, adding some could be on a part-time basis.
Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty said, “There is a 300% rise in cases of mental health after the pandemic. Long imprisonment behind closed doors is the most important cause . Financial issues, loss of loved ones and break in educational activities has precipitated the same,” he said. Instances of self-harm have also increased, he a dded.
He said many famili es feel lost as the frequency of distress among adults too have gone up. Teachers and parents are reporting increasing cases of aggression, excessive withdrawal and increase in quarrels in schools.
An IIT-Bombay professor said many students joining the institute find it tough to cope with pressure. “They start their IIT and NEETpreparation at a very young age, sometimes even when they are in cl ass VI or VIII due to the coaching classes phenomenon, and by the time they manage to crack the entrance test and enter the institute, they are burnt out. Soon after they enter, they have to f ace a mid-semester test in two months, and their poor performance may impact their mental health,” said the professor.
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