Calcutta: How many people suffer from depression worldwide?
"300 million," chorused Class XII students Shreya Banerjee, Anjali Rangarajan and Prajata Kar, clinching the third place in the zonal round of a national quiz on mental health.
The BSS School was among 12 schools, including nine from the city, taking part in the eastern zonal final of Psych-ED, at Fortis Hospital, Anandapur, on Friday.
Every question in the quiz was about mental disorders, personality types and symptoms.
"As I prepared for the event, I was excited, nervous and competitive at the same time. I now know the real impact of these emotions on the mind," said Prajata, adding how research made her more aware.
The quiz was hosted by mental health and behavioural sciences department of the Bypass hospital to spread awareness about mental issues among schoolchildren and encourage them to study psychology and join the profession.
The three rounds of the quiz tested the participants' knowledge on scientists, their theories and a variety of behavioural patterns.
Sample this. "What is not a symptom of groupthink?" the participants were asked. The options included brainstorming and close-mindedness. Modern High For Girls opted for close-mindedness. The correct answer was brainstorming.
"Our half-yearly exams are on and yet we chose to take part in this quiz. We learnt so much during our research as well as now," said Shriya Ganguly, a Class XI student of The Heritage School. "We did not know that runners get a rush of endorphins post exercise. We thought it was dopamine," added Kaustav Majumdar, who along with Prathit Singh completed the team.
Students from Calcutta International School (CIS)were proud to answer a "difficult" question though they failed to qualify for the finals. "The desire to perform a behaviour in order to obtain an external reward is called extrinsic motivation. We felt proud when we could answer that one," said Sanjula Rajat, who along with Prithvijit Pramanik and Moithyl Das completed the CIS trio.
Other participating schools from the city included Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, Ashok Hall Girls' Higher Secondary School and Shri Shikshayatan School. Sunbeam School Lahartara in Varanasi won the eastern zonal round and qualified for the national final.
"There is a rise in mental issues in India. Yet we lack enough trained professionals. The event aims at generating interest in mind matters and our profession. About 880 schools from 299 cities participated in the event," said psychiatrist Sanjay Garg, the head of the mental health department at Fortis.
