Children silently under pressure
Doctors of the Department of Adolescents - Center for Developmental Medicine and Mental Health, National Children's Hospital continuously receive many cases of students facing serious mental health problems due to study pressure and exams.
One of the typical cases is a 13-year-old girl, living in Hanoi. According to her family, she was originally a well-behaved student with quite good academic performance. However, recently, she often stays up late to study, rarely communicates and tends to withdraw into her private room. She is always worried because she is afraid of not achieving the results she wants as well as the expectations from her family.
After receiving the results of an unsatisfactory test, she fell into a state of prolonged boredom and stress. During a psychological crisis, she took pain relievers in high doses to harm herself. Fortunately, the family discovered it in time and took her to the National Children's Hospital for emergency treatment. Although her physical health has stabilized, doctors said that psychological trauma may continue if not supported properly.
Another case is another 14-year-old girl who is also being treated for prolonged anxiety disorder accompanied by recurrent panic attacks. She is a specialized school student, with good academic achievements, but for nearly a year she has been under pressure from studying and exams. She has shown many symptoms such as palpitations, rapid heartbeat, tremors in her hands and feet, abdominal pain, insomnia and unreasonable feelings of fear. As the exam approached, the symptoms became more serious. Recently, she also tended to avoid communication and harm herself with sharp objects.
Achievement pressure is weighing heavily on students
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Anh Vinh - Head of the Department of Adolescents - Center for Development Medicine and Mental Health, National Children's Hospital said that the above two cases are just a small number among many pediatric patients being treated at the department. On average, the department receives more than 50 children for examination every day, mainly in the age group from 10 to 15 years old. This is a stage when children have many strong changes in psychology and physiology, so they are very likely to develop emotional disorders.
Current learning pressure comes not only from knowledge or exams but also from the psychology of having to succeed of both students and parents. Many children always set a goal to achieve high scores, be at the top of the class or pass the specialized school entrance exam. When the results are not as expected, children easily fall into a state of disappointment, anxiety and prolonged stress.
In addition, excessive expectations from families sometimes unintentionally create a psychological burden for children. In the era of strong social networks, constantly seeing the achievements of friends also makes many students fall into feelings of inferiority, pressure and fear of being left behind," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Anh Vinh added.
Children with anxiety or depression often have prolonged sadness, irritability, loss of concentration, withdrawal and avoidance of communication. Many children also experience symptoms such as nervousness, rapid heartbeat, headache, insomnia or self-harm to relieve pressure.
If not detected and supported promptly, this condition can seriously affect children's learning, relationships, and long-term development.
During the exam season, what students need is not only achievements but also companionship from the family. Parents should understand their children's abilities, avoid creating excessive pressure, regularly listen, encourage and help children maintain scientific activities, get enough sleep, and exercise. When children have signs of psychological abnormalities, they need to be taken to specialized facilities for timely support.
