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Friday, March 23, 2018

IIT-Roorkee providing stress counselling for students - Hindustan Times

IIT-Roorkee providing stress counselling for students

Keeping in view two suicide incidents in Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in the past few months, the IIT management is providing online and direct counselling to the studentsDEHRADUN Updated: Mar 21, 2018 21:39 IST


Sandeep Rawat
Hindustan Times, Haridwar


Efforts are being made to provide stress related counselling to all the students of IIT Roorkee.(HT File)
Keeping in view two suicide incidents in Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in the past few months, the IIT management is providing online and direct counselling to the students.

The online counselling cell comprises consultants, psychologists and academic experts to guide and help resolve the issues of the students.

Last week, a B.Tech third year student, Abhijeet Singh, committed suicide in his hostel room.

Prior to that, in August last year, a science post graduate student Aman Chauhan, resident of Agra, who had been battling depression for a few months, committed suicide in the hostel.

A month later, another B.Tech first year student, Rithik Saini, went missing from IIT hostel and was later traced in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. He went into depression after the suicide of Aman Chauhan, who used to live in the adjacent hostel block.

Few years ago, an M.Tech student, Tanaji Rao Biradare, had also committed suicide in IIT hostel, who in his suicide note had written that he let his parents down as they wanted him to become a doctor.

Stress, especially studies and peer pressure, has come to light, as the major reasons for these suicidal attempts.

Named ‘Your Friend’, the counselling facility arranged by IIT is available round the clock to the students, where experts share and try to solve their problems. Through interaction, the experts try to figure out, guide and sort out the problems that lead to stress and depression among students.

According to the dean of student’s welfare, professor Anand Joshi, any student in stress, tension, dilemma or doubt can consult this online counselling, which already has become popular among students.

He added that efforts are being made to provide stress related counselling to all the students.

Apart from this online counselling, a direct counselling cell has also been put in place, which tries to solve and guide students suffering from depression.

So far, general problems associated with students coming for counselling, are related to academics, low self confidence, emotional stress, peer pressure, family issues, financial problems, decision regarding career, homesickness, drug-tobacco-alcohol addiction, loneliness, anxiety and time management.