Pressure to perform

This refers to the letter ‘Fighting depression’ (February 11) by Muhammad Luqman Kakar. The incident involving an MBBS student committing suicide serves as a wake-up call for parents who tend to put pressure on their children into taking up a profession that they aren’t interested in. Every parent wants to see his/her child become a doctor or an engineer without accounting for whether the child is interested in achieving these goals. This creates a clash between the interests of parents and children, which culminates in insurmountable problems. Students take drastic steps when they fail to measure up to the unrealistic expectations of their parents.

If statistics are anything to go by, 20 million Pakistani children suffer from various mental health concerns. In 2018 alone, eight children below the age of 20 have ended their own lives. While some may argue that students need guidance to decide their career prospects, it is wrong to completely sideline them from the process of making these crucial decisions. In addition to establishing counselling and career departments at educational institutes, parents must also understand their children’s needs.

Muhammad Fayyaz

Mianwali