Hello doctor, My child is 18 years old and has been preparing for the entrance exam for the past one year. He did well in some of the topics he covered but four months back, he got some negative thoughts and started complaining about less concentration. He became excited, irritated and got disturbed. With my affection and care, most of the things have gone away in three months but I still feel something wrong in comparison to his earlier nature. His sleep and food are fine. I consulted two psychiatrists and they advised the problem will go away on its own. The child was not able to give board exams and he has started studying a little. He has a fair hold on the studied topics. Now he studies very less and is afraid of giving entrance exams in which he mostly solves the questions verbally.
Hello. It is quite common for 18-year-olds to become stressed when preparing for school final and college entrance examinations. With appropriate care and encouragement, you can support your child to handle to stress appropriately. Kindly do not put too much pressure on him to study and excel. It can be counterproductive. If he is putting too much pressure on himself, it can lead to significant stress and affect his ability to do well in exams. Remind him that though exams are important, it is not a life or death situation. Continue to encourage and support him to do well but also tactfully advise him that there are multiple career options available. This can help him to relax and eventually help him to do better. It is good to know that he is eating and sleeping well. Encourage him to do atleast 30 minutes exercise or physical play daily. It is time well spent, it will sharpen his memory and reduce his stress levels. If stress continues to increase, it can lead on to depression, anxiety and related emotional and behavioural problems. Do not let exams to take over the family all the time. Have fun whenever possible. Remember a relaxed mind performs better.