The most common causes of student stress and anguish according to school and college counselors are:

Anxiety over inability to cope with academic presure, overload of assignments and exam-related stress

Depression over unrealistically high parental expectations to perform well in academics and extra-curricular activities

Constant pressure to ‘fit-in and conform with peer groups and their socio-economic expectations

Lack of communication between parents and children which deteriorates family relationships

Aggressive instincts in adolescent years which encourage destructive anti-social behaviour

Sexual pressures. This results in rising incidence of unprotected sex, early pregnancies and abortions among high school and college girls

Use of drugs and alcohol abuse among teens

Unhappy self-image of young people, especially girls because of physical characteristics

Fear of failure and rejection among students who migrate from smaller cities to metros for education. They experience anxiety over inability to cope with new lifestyles

Bullying and ragging is a problem in schools/colleges. Often this extends to emotional abuse as well, through mockery, ridicule or embarrassing victims