NEET, JEE Exams Triggering Mental Health Crisis in India: Students Struggling to Cope

A significant number of students, some as young as 14-15 years old, begin preparing for the highly competitive NEET and JEE exams. Many face immense pressure from their families to excel and secure admission to top technical and medical colleges. These young students fear disappointing their parents if they fail. To improve their chances, many join coaching institutes, which, despite offering quality teaching, create a stressful environment with long study hours. Students feel pressured to achieve top ranks in internal exams at these institutes, believing it will guarantee them a seat in a prestigious college.

Originally intended to build careers, competitive exams like JEE and NEET have unfortunately become major sources of stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues for many young Indians. The ongoing NEET 2024 controversy has only worsened the situation, leaving lakhs of aspiring medical students uncertain about their future.

Alarming Suicide Rates

A 2023 study by Lokniti-CSDS in Kota found that over 85% of students spend six to seven hours daily in coaching classes, with some stretching it to eight hours. More than 80% of students expressed a desire for at least one day off for leisure activities to relieve the burden of studying. Many students reported increased feelings of loneliness, mood swings, fatigue, anger, sadness, and depression since moving to Kota. Poor sleeping patterns have also emerged, further impacting their mental health.

India has the highest number of suicides globally, with over 2.6 lakh cases annually. According to the World Health Organization, the average suicide rate in India is 10.9 per lakh population, with one of the highest youth suicide rates. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data reveals that in 2020, one student took their own life every 42 minutes, averaging 34 student suicides per day.

In 2020, 11,396 suicides among students below 18 were reported across India. In 2021, about 13,000 students died by suicide, averaging more than 35 suicides daily, a 4.5% increase from 2020. Of these, 864 out of 10,732 were attributed to “failure in examination,” according to NCRB’s Accidental Death and Suicide in India report 2021.

The suicide rate among students is rising alarmingly. Over 13,000 students died by suicide in 2022, according to the latest NCRB report. Students accounted for 7.6% of all suicide deaths that year. The report also showed that the highest percentage of deaths was among people with secondary-level education, making up 23.9% of all suicides.

Seven students allegedly died by suicide hours after the Telangana State Board released the Intermediate Public Examination 2024 results. In 2019, 22 students in the state took their own lives after the intermediate results were released. According to the Ministry of Education, 122 students from IITs, NITs, central universities, and other central institutions died by suicide between 2014 and 2021. The increasing suicide rate among students in Kota has become a concern for governments, parents, and students.

The government has taken several measures to prevent children from falling into depression. One important step is arranging students into sections alphabetically instead of by rank, which helps reduce unhealthy competition and stress among young people.

Mental Health Crisis

Despite the severe consequences, addressing mental health issues in India is challenging. The social stigma associated with these issues complicates the situation. Prejudice against consulting psychiatrists or counselors leads to delays in addressing anxiety and depression.

Moreover, there is a shortage of mental health professionals and services in the country, with only 0.3 psychiatrists, 0.07 psychologists, and 0.07 social workers per 1,00,000 people. In comparison, developed countries have 6.6 psychiatrists per 1,00,000 people. The global average number of mental hospitals is 0.04 per 1,00,000 people, while in India, it’s only 0.004. Removing the social stigma associated with mental disorders and seeking help, along with increasing the number of mental health professionals, can lead to effective treatment.

Parents and teachers should monitor behavioral changes in children and engage in conversations to understand their problems. We must ensure that no child feels so helpless that they consider taking their own life.

Additionally, children should be encouraged to cultivate hobbies like singing, dancing, painting, writing, reading, or cooking to help them de-stress. Developing efficient coping mechanisms to handle exam pressure is crucial. Remember, they are not alone and can always seek help from loved ones. Suicide is not the solution.

Manavi Nandini has passed her class 12 exam from Bal Bharati Public School, Brij Vihar, and is currently exploring career options. Sanjay Kumar is a professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Delhi. Views are personal.

(Edited by Ratan Priya)