Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After preparing for five years, a 25-year-old man managed to clear preliminary examinations of UPSC civil services examination. He cleared the preliminary and main examination of state civil services examination.
But then someone moved a court and the interview process was stayed.
Meanwhile, the next examination was announced. Not knowing what to do, he began over-thinking, losing to anxiety. He suddenly decided to change course and began teaching at a coaching institute.
A non-smoker, he began smoking 15-20 cigarettes every day. “My life’s timetable has been ruined,” he told a psychiatrist his parents took him to. And this is not an exception. Psychiatrists are being approached by many civil services aspirants with complaints of anxiety and depression. “Of every 1,000 who take these examinations, barely one succeeds.
And so, there is lot of uncertainty. Then, paper leaks, postponement of examinations, court stays worsen the situation,” senior consultant psychiatrist Dr Satyakant Trivedi said, adding, 8-10 civil service aspirants facing mental problems approach him every month.
A 27-year-old woman who had unsuccessfully appeared in MPPSC and UPSC examinations more than 10 times, is another example. Her parents began insisting that she should get married whereas she believed that marriage would kill her dreams.
The result was stress, negative thoughts and depression. Another case is of 30-year man whose girl friend got selected but he had failed to make it. They were in a relationship for over five years and used to study together. He was hoping to marry her. But after her selection, she stopped contacting him. He suffered from depression and anxiety.
Senior psychiatrist Ruma Bhattacharya said she received one such every week and most of them are men. “One of them comes all the way from Delhi to consult me. He has been preparing for CSE for last four years,” she added.
According to psychiatrists, taking the same examinations repeatedly with no certainty of selection is a stressful condition. In many cases, there is mismatch between reality and expectations and the aspirants are not ready to accept failure and move on. They don’t know when they should quit. They keep on trying. As years go by and the upper age limit starts drawing closer, they turn increasingly anxious and tense, leading to mental issues.
