"There has been an atmosphere of anxiety, fear, loneliness and uncertainty among the students during lockdown because of the increasing effect of coronavirus and they are struggling with it day and night."

As the second wave of Coronavirus is wreaking havoc in India, fear among people is also increasing. The whole of India is now in a panic. It is because the whole atmosphere has changed for the people. Suddenly schools, universities, offices, businesses and public places are closed. We do not have to go out and watch the news related to Coronavirus throughout the day. It has a natural effect on mental health. Some states announced a weekend lockdown to prevent the further spread of Coronavirus, but there is also a talk among government officials of announcing a lockdown for a long time at some places like it happened last year. The lockdown has a profound impact not only on the country's economy but also on the public's mood and especially the students. CBSE already cancelled the Class 10th Board exam and postponed the class 12th exam till May 30. ICSE board and some state boards did the same. Due to this, students are affected with depression and anxiety due to confinement in homes. This has been revealed in the research of the psychiatry department of Aligarh Muslim University. 

The research found that the lockdown had a profound effect on the brains of 44% of the students who participated in the online survey of the department of psychiatry of Aligarh Muslim University. The Department of Psychiatry has studied the impact of lockdown on students and their parents from different country states since March 2020. The study covered four points - sensitivity, family environment, social life and academic life. This study reveals the most profound impact on the mentality of students. 

  • Sensitivity- Being living in lockdown has significantly increased irritability in students. The child became angry easily, even at small things. They easily get influenced by negative thoughts. They have now become more pessimistic towards life and career. 
  • Family environment or relationships- According to the study based on a survey, it is observed that most of the children cannot get mixed up with their family members easily even after living with the family for a long time. Most of the children are not able to behave properly with their father and siblings. Sometimes, they got involved in fights with family members, 
  • Social life- The irritability and stress among children have increased considerably due to the ban on playing with friends and being closed. The population of Introverts is also rising among the students because now they are having trouble meeting new people.
  • Academic life- Many students are not comfortable in online teaching and online exams. It is observed that they have a lot of difficulty in understanding subjects like Mathematics and English through online classes. Students who do not afford smartphones and laptops, which are essential for online study, suffer from other types of depression because of their financial conditions. There was also a concern among many students that they were passed without giving their exams or giving online exams that are mostly flawed. Will it does not affect their future? Will it does not affect the credibility of their mark sheets and degrees? 

The department of psychiatry of AMU also surveys among the students living in hostels and houses separately. It was revealed that when Lockdown 1.0 was announced in the country, many students living in their hostels in different states or cities. A comparative study of the two found that 30.5% of the students who are living in hostels and houses were moderately affected, and 33.7% of students were mildly affected. The students residing in the hostels were utterly affected. They were always worried about when their school or university will open and when the exam will be held. They have studied diligently, thinking that there will be exams soon, but suddenly they got the news that their exams have been cancelled. Then, they feel that their hard work was wasted, anxiety and depression are further increased.

Students need to understand that it is very important to get out of the state of mental stress, or else that stress can be endless. There is still a lot of life which is full of opportunities left for them. Some exams or degrees cannot change their life.

"Whatever will be in their destiny, they will surely get it."