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'OL and AL syndrome,
damaging to the child'

by Umangi de Mel

"It's a common problem among teenagers," says Ranil Abeysinghe, Consultant Psychiatrist, University of Peradeniya.

"Many youngsters fall victim to the `8D syndrome' when O/Ls are just round the corner and the rest yield to `A/L syndrome'," he says.

Exams seem to beat the guts out of the healthiest blokes who cope perfectly well in their day-to-day life. The ailments pop up abruptly when they seem to be doing totally fine. "It's the brain that does this to people. When the going gets tough and things don't seem to be so smooth, the brain wants to go on holiday and it's only natural," he points out. The key reason is excessive stress that children go through during examinations.

"Children give up studies and their lives suddenly come to a standstill. They just laze around doing absolutely nothing which is bliss," he says and adds that these kids lose their temper easily and break down refusing to face the exams.

"These are actually the early warning symptoms that shouldn't be neglected. Parents should be attentive and give them enough room to bounce back," Dr.Abeysinghe says. According to our shrink, the more parents push, the more they mess up the children. "The brain will say `I've had enough' and just switch off. You are jeopardising your kids' mental health if the early symptoms aren't taken notice of " he tells parents.

Those who are affected must rest and get themselves off studies for at least two weeks. "Stop studying completely during the period where the child can do other things that bring them pleasure," he advices. Rent a movie, have a dip in the pool and take a break. "Medication is given to get the mood back," he says.

"You must know yourself," he says pointing out the fact, that one must do what's within his reach. People should be conscious about their potential before aiming high. According to Dr. Abeysinghe, most people try to aim for the skies: 10Ds or 4As is just too much for an average kid who would still be thinking of the bat and ball. "One must set oneself realistic targets. If you are not very keen on studies, these goals are not really necessary. It's true that you have got to try your best to do well in studies but if you just can't seem to do it, it's advisable to go slow," he says but points out that nobody has to get 10Ds or 4As to do well in their studies.

"What you need is a realistic assessment of yourself, so that you end up with reasonable expectations," he says. In the process, a child can try to reduce the levels of stress arising from studies. The required six hour sleep is essential as things get accumulated in the brain during slumber time. "You must give your brain a chance to accumulate whatever you learn during the day," our shrink says.

DOs -

* Sleep six hours
* Get sufficient rest
* Try to follow the normal routine as far as possible not creating additional stress.
* Try not to stick to books, get some exercise.
* Maintain your normal interests (by depriving yourself, you are adding to the stress,) 

"You have got to begin to like what you are studying. It's hard but you've got to develop a liking without which you just can't anticipate a good outcome. Some people don't like the subject but like the outcome," he reveals. Finding something interesting about the subject makes it much easier to cope with. "Lack of interest is one of the commonest reasons why students say they can't remember anything," Examinations are like a common phobia as it apparently generates a certain level of anxiety. "And if they aren't prepared, they become more anxious," he says adding that lack of confidence during exams puts a fear in them. "Things are worse for children who are naturally anxious.

It lies in the hands of parents who pressurise children both by direct and indirect means." He says that parents and teachers develop excessive expectations which get transmitted unconsciously to the children. "These unrealistic expectations cause problems," Dr. Abeysinghe continues, "We've become exam oriented. To make things worse, parents develop narrow expectations wanting their kid to beat the rest.

Broad expectations will help the children to have more chances to express themselves for a longer period," he says it will enable them to look at their abilities, assess themselves, achieve and do well in whatever they do.

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