Educated Parents Also Neglect Child Mental Health: Expert

Educated Parents Also Neglect Child Mental Health: Expert

PUNE: A 17-year-old boy tried to commit suicide after his parents stopped his psychiatric treatment at a city-based hospital. As per the psychiatric counsellor, the boy was depressed due to body shaming at his school. 

The psychiatrist highlighted that many educated parents take mental illness lightly which can affect the academics, as well as personal well-being of their children.

Speaking about the case, Dr Sayantani Mukherjee, a psychiatrist from Columbia Asia Hospital in Pune said that the parents of the 17-year-old thought that their child’s depression was a fad and most youngsters have it.

“However, the child was suffering from a phobia of examination, something common in people of his age. However, there were other things that were bothering the 17-year-old. The patient was overweight and was suffering from low self-esteem after his girlfriend left him for a fitter boy. However, none of these reasons were important to his parents who thought depression was a trend among youths and decided to discontinue his psychiatric counselling,” said Dr Mukherjee.

She further added that parents were very traditional and strict and only came for counselling because they did not want their son’s performance in the exams to be affected.

“They were not aware of his relationship and subsequent break-up. The young boy started feeling low after his break-up, did not eat or sleep properly and lost interest in all hobbies and was unable to focus on his studies. He was afraid he would fail in the exams and started having panic attacks. He isolated himself from friends, started thinking of self-harm and had an active desire to end his life,” said Dr Mukherjee.

Doctors tried to explain to the parents why the medication was important, however, they were adamant.

“So, we gave the psychiatrist’s phone number as well as other psychiatric hotlines to the boy so that he can call during emergencies,” said Dr Mukherjee.

Two days later, the boy tried to commit suicide after an altercation with his parents over exam preparation.

“He jumped from a higher floor but hit a parapet and landed on a balcony where he was found unconscious with a head injury. He was taken to a local hospital and stabilised medically. He called the psychiatrist later that night and the next day, he was put on regular medications and therapy,” said Dr Mukherjee.

This time, his parents cooperated and came for regular family therapy sessions. 

“After 18 months of treatment, the patient was off medications and had become stable. He was no more depressed and was doing well in academics. He was also socialising well with friends. He started working on his weight issues by exercising and visiting a nutritionist. His relationship with his parents has also improved after they have gained insight into their son’s condition. In fact, his mother was also depressed and was doing better after treatment,” said Dr Mukherjee.

Enjoyed reading The Bridge Chronicle?
Your support motivates us to do better. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay updated with the latest stories.
You can also read on the go with our Android and iOS mobile app.

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
The Bridge Chronicle
www.thebridgechronicle.com