HYDERABAD,Febrauary3,2012: Psychiatrists and
psychologists have
noted a peculiar
adolescent problem which has gripped pockets of the city, especially Mehdipatnam and Toli Chowki areas which have a sizable non-resident Indian population. A number of teenagers whose parents have sent them back to the city from the Middle East to pursue studies here are finding it tough to adjust to the new environs with several of them suffering from
depression and
adjustment disorders. Counsellors here say they are getting cases of such teenagers turning irritable and hostile, with some of them even developing suicidal tendencies. Counsellors point out that estrangement from parents is the primary reason for a change in behaviour of these youngsters. Dr Minhaj Naseerabadi, consultant psychiatrist,
Apollo Hospitals, Hyderguda, says more than 10% of his patients are children of NRIs. "There is trouble when children are unable to meet the high expectations of parents," he says, adding that children also have copious amounts of cash at their disposal which is worrisome. Academics point out that grades of many youngsters have tumbled due to the lack of accountability and the absence of counselling at home. The cloaking of academic misdemeanours of these students by their guardians comes across as a shock to the parents. Fatima Farooqui, principal of Mount Mercy School in Toli Chowki, says, "Many parents are oblivious of their child's poor grades. There have been many instances when parents blame each other and sometimes even the guardian for the child's poor performance in tests and examinations. Guardians cannot be strict as parents; they fail to be objective at times." Counsellor Mubarak Nawaz says, "I deal with at least two cases of suicide attempts every month. While these attempts are usually made to seek attention, sometimes they can be very serious due to an emotional imbalance." Nawaz says that sometimes single parents too are unable to cope with the pressure of raising a child on their own and seek counselling themselves first before bringing the child to her. "All these problems arise due to the lack of emotional bonding of the child with the primary care giver," she says.
