KOLLAM: Examination stress takes a heavy toll on the students' mental and physical health. But now there is an effective way to cope with the stress through Direct Intervention System for Health Awareness (DISHA 1056) offered by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The parents or the students concerned need only ring up 1056, the toll-free helpline service, and trained counsellors will help them eliminate their worries and fears.
"These days, school qualifying examinations are hyped to such an extent that if a child fails in the exams, it is the end of the world for him/her. The children face enormous stress at a young age. The DISHA service has been diversified since March 2013, when it was launched primarily to counsel students," said J. Varsha, junior consultant with the NRHM. DISHA has received over 1,65,000 calls till December 2016 dealing with children's issues.
Of these, calls related to examination stress accounted for over 25,000 and half of them were from stressed parents. All calls are attended by specially trained counsellors and they forward the cases that require more 'effective management' to the member of an empanelled team of specialist doctors. Dr. J. Swapnakumari, the NRHM Thiruvananthapuram district programme manager, is the nodal officer of DISHA. This service is available in Kerala and Lakshadweep with BSNL, Idea and Reliance networks while other network users can get free service on 0417-2552056.
