Jamshedpur, Sept. 10: Be it bullying or depression, stress or low esteem, children must discuss their problems with teachers or parents to avoid a tragic end.

The message was simple, conveyed today at a panel discussion organised by Tata Main Hospital (TMH) to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

Eminent speakers, including Shantanu Datta, resident editor of The Telegraph (Jharkhand); Pragya Singh, principal of DAV Public School; V.P. Srivastava, chief, IT, architecture and tech support, Tata Steel; Manoj Sahu, a psychiatrist of TMH; and Swastika, a student of DAV Public School, Bistupur, deliberated on the topic "Bullying is real but nobody speaks about it". Ruchi Narendran, chairperson of SAFE, was the chief guest.

After screening of films made by schoolchildren as a part of a competition, Sanjay Agarwal, head of the department of psychiatry, TMH, presented a study on level of stress. Citing a random sample survey among 600 students from seven schools, he said the study showed that while 60 per cent of children suffered for exam stress, 37 per cent were subjected to bullying. Parental pressure and relationships also accounted for depression among 52 per cent and 42 per cent students, respectively.

Agarwal also set the ball rolling for the discussion.

While Swastika accepted the fact that bullying occurred in schools to gain respect among juniors, principal Pragya Singh spoke about the initiatives schools carry out to tackle these problems., making people understand the role of media and how it has changed"If they cannot, students should seek help from teachers, parents and psychiatrists too," he said. that raised concerns like not having too many followers on Facebook and how to handle bullying involving students, teachers and parents besides screening a movie, Motilal Nehru Public School spread a message on loving life through skit, dance and song.

ADLS Sunshine School organised a quiz, a talk and a pledge ceremony.