Thread by @docbhooshan

Young people appearing for high intensity entrance exams like NEET, JEE, NATA, KVPY need mental health help sometimes.

I have worked with them since last 20 years as their psychiatrist and mental coach.

Here is what I have seen over 2 decades of work -
#Thread

1. Exams are getting more competitive each year and require more work from "above average" students
2. A small fraction at top e.g. 700+ NEET score, top 200 of JEE, etc are a class apart. They are gifted with 🧠 that work very differently.

They have intuitive understanding of subject matter, they make connections easily, they have inhuman ability to focus for a few hours (4-6 per day) and do 20 hours worth of work in that time. They just need teacher to point to a 🎯 and they get it.
Their work is effortless

and quality of their understanding of subject matter is WAY better than ordinary intelligent school topper.

Then comes second lot that makes rest 99% of the merit list. These students have above average ability in most IQ subsets. They need intensive coaching and family support (a privilege in our poor country)

Unless they let an adult direct them and allow that adult to take over their life for 2 years, they will not reach their so called potential rank.
This role is usually played by coaching class teachers or ambitious parents who fuse their identity with child's achievements.

Poor focus, distractions and friends who are not walking the same path with same intensity are their undoing. I see this lot very frequently in my clinic. They typically start faltering in second half of 11th standard.

Then there is a huge number of kids who score 80%+ in our pathetic schools and parents believe that they are "above average". Teachers fuel this delusion by writing - "has potential, can do better, must work harder" on their progress reports from KG onwards.

These are normal people who can be comfortable in life if troublesome subjects are taken out of their curriculum and they are allowed to choose in 7-8 std.
For middle class, tuition abled, private school going kid getting 80% is really starting point. Not achievement.

Due to excellent proliferation of private professional colleges and increasing ability of middle class to pay fees, all these kids get professional degrees.

This is what it looks like. Smart phones have made students' job incrementally more difficult over last 5-7 years due to ability to destroy focus, provide ready distraction and excessive connectivity with friends.

As a parent you can draw your own conclusions from this and plan your action.

I suggest SIP into large cap funds as soon as you start earning (before marriage) is best way to ensure children's future in our perpetually developing country.