Academic pursuits exact mental toll

Students reveal suffering anxiety and panic attacks during lockdown

Battling academic and financial crises and staring at an uncertain future is taking a toll on the mental health of students. In the last three months of the lockdown, some students claim they have had panic attacks while others have

suffered anxiety, mulling over how their academic careers will unfold in the near future.

It has been a nightmare of waiting, thinking and waiting again, exclaims Suraj Upadhyay, a finalyear student of biotechnology. Upadhyay said, "Initially, when the lockdown was imposed in March-end, I did not bother much because I was convinced that a metropolitan city such as Mumbai could never stop or shut down. But that is exactly what happened in these last three months, everything has come to a standstill. I spent more than 80 days worrying whether my final exams would be deferred or cancelled. All I could

do was to wait for a decision from the state government."

Upadhyay channelised his time exploring other avenues, in order to secure a job in such crucial times.

Aviation student Nidhi Swamy reveals, "I never knew I had anxiety till I spent the last few days anxiously worrying about my future. I have been jobless for the last three months, as flights are not operating. I was pursuing my training in aviation simultaneously, but that too is on hold too due to the pandemic situation. All of this had made me anxious about what will happen in the future. It has also made me question my field of study, coaxed me to think of alternatives."