NEET may be cancelled, but your journey to become a doctor is still alive
DR IMTIAZ HUSSAIN MANSUR
The cancellation and uncertainty surrounding the NEET examination for undergraduates has deeply shaken students across the country, including thousands of aspirants in Jammu & Kashmir. For many young students, NEET is not just an entrance examination but a dream nurtured over years with immense sacrifice and hard work. Behind every NEET aspirant is a story of struggle. Imagine a student leaving the comfort of home in a far-flung village, living alone in hostels or paying guest accommodations in cities, studying late into the night, staying away from family and carrying the burden of expectations.
When such an examination suddenly becomes invalid and uncertain, it naturally leads to feelings of anxiety, helplessness, anger, fear, and emotional exhaustion. Many students must be experiencing disturbed sleep, panic symptoms, loss of concentration, irritability, sadness, and hopelessness regarding their future. Some may even begin to question their self-worth after investing years into preparation, blaming their fate and the system.
In many vulnerable individuals, this distress can become severe and may lead to clinical depression or self-harm thoughts, anxiety, especially when students believe that their efforts have gone unnoticed or unfairly disrupted, particularly if they had done well. This emotional impact is further intensified in our society due to shared delusional thinking of linking academic success in NEET with family expectations, social identity, and future security. Constant comparison, fear of failure, social pressure, and limited awareness regarding mental health further worsen the situation in an already burdened student.
Unfortunately, students continue to suffer silently because seeking psychiatric help is still wrongly perceived as weakness, exemplified in my private clinic by clients coming for help on conditions of anonymity as far as psychiatry is concerned, even their parents are unaware. At this difficult time, emotional support and crisis intervention are extremely important. Families must reassure their children, encourage patience and compassion.
Parents should encourage open conversations, maintain a calm environment at home, and remind their children that one examination can never define the value of a human life. Educational institutions and coaching centres should also step forward by providing counselling services, peer-support groups, and mental health awareness programs for students affected by the current situation, at least for now.
Any student showing signs of severe distress, sleeplessness, social withdrawal, panic attacks, or suicidal thoughts should be encouraged to seek professional psychiatric help without shame and delay at any nearest facility. Students themselves must remember that seeking help is not a sign of weakness but of courage and self-care.
Maintaining routine, proper sleep, physical activity, limited exposure to social media rumours, and staying connected with trusted friends and family can help reduce emotional distress during such uncertain times. A pill may be needed in some, but only after consulting a mental health professional.
One should see a possible silver lining in the cancellation and console oneself that an honest student may ultimately benefit. This cancellation helped focus on ‘National Attention on Student Mental Health’, and ‘Examination Reform’ needs an urgent relook now. Students and their families should take a positive vibe in cancelling the exam as it may protect long-term fairness and trust in the system, as an unfair medical entrance process can ultimately affect deserving students for years.
As a senior psychiatrist, I want to appeal to dear students carrying immense dreams, pressure, and emotional burden, “pause” and have a thought, “An examination can be postponed or cancelled, your life, your abilities, and your future are not cancelled. Your worth is far greater than a single date, result, or rank. NEET may be cancelled, but your journey to become a doctor is still alive!
(The Author is Sr Consultant Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry at Noora hospital, HMT, Srinagar, Email: imtiyazmansur@gmail.com)