Depression among lovelorn souls is not new. But what has surprised counsellors is that schoolchildren, as young as 11, now seeking help to overcome a failed love affair.
Natalie Portman may be proud of No Strings Attached. But such relationships are wrecking the lives of several youth, and many are forced to head to the shrink.
Depression among lovelorn souls is not new. But what has surprised counsellors is that schoolchildren, as young as 11, now seeking help to overcome a failed love affair.
The department of psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) has been receiving at least two cases of schoolchildren wanting to tide over a failed affair each week.
Psychiatrists attribute the increasing number of children falling in love to the media. Once in love, they seldom heed the wisdom of their elders. Prakriti (name changed), a student of class VII at a private school, used to be active and cheerful. Her parents started noticing a change in her two months ago. She spent more time in the bathroom, and covered herself completely with a blanket, seeking to be left alone.
One night, Prakriti’s mother pulled away the blanker, and found her daughter frantically sending SMSes. The mother checked the inbox, and found several amorous messages.
Panicky, the mother visited the school and was told that her daughter was caught several times sending SMSes during class hours. Prakriti’s parents took tough measures to free her of the pre-mature affair. The girl, however, relentlessly pursued her love.
When the bubble burst, Prakriti went through counselling to overcome the trauma. The counsellor understood that Prakriti had been influenced by the television serials. Dr CR Chandrashekar, a psychiatrist at Nimhans, said that the media had blurred fiction and reality for many young people. It is just not schoolchildren who fall victim to calf love. Even professionals seek psychiatric advice to tide over the broken heart.
For 24-year-old IT professional Seema Srivastava, life was a beautiful string of pearls till she strongly suggested marriage to Rahul (both names changed), her colleague and boyfriend. He stopped talking, and avoided meeting her. She watched as he mingled freely with other girls. The girl confided in her mother, and Seema began undergoing counselling for depression.
The victims are not always female. Even young men ditched by women friends sometimes need professional help to tide over the crisis.
Dr Chandrashekar, however, notes that many victims are very young. Those in the 11 to 25 age group were most susceptible to love-related depression, he said. So let time work its cure, there’s no other real remedy for premature love.
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