181 Abhayam Helpline Counsels Withdrawn Ahmedabad Teen, Gets Her Back to School

Traumatised by her grandfather’s death two months ago and isolated at school after a change in her class section, a 13-year-old girl had adamantly refused to attend classes and withdrawn into the world of her smartphone. She has now agreed to return to school after intervention by the 181 Abhayam helpline team.

Through extended counselling sessions with the girl and her mother, the team addressed the emotional issues behind her withdrawal. She also promised to reduce her mobile phone use and spend more time with her family.

Mother Calls Helpline in Distress

A mother from the eastern part of the city phoned the 181 Abhayam helpline in tears. She said her daughter had not attended school for two months and was keeping herself locked in a room, absorbed in her phone all day.

After the call, the Abhayam rescue van reached the family’s home. As the team built a rapport with the girl and began talking to her, some highly sensitive details emerged.

Loss, Money Worries and a Split Class

The family includes twin daughters who study in the same class. Their father died five years ago, and the household had since relied on their grandfather’s pension. When the grandfather died two months ago, the family had to depend on the grandmother’s pension, which is half the amount of the original.

The school also reorganised its class sections. All of the girl’s old friends were placed in a different section, and she found herself in a class of mostly unfamiliar faces. Her twin sister remained in the same section, but the sudden separation from her friends, together with grief over her grandfather, left her mentally shattered.

She then stopped attending school altogether and, cut off from the world around her, retreated into her smartphone.

How the Counsellors Helped

An Abhayam counsellor helped the girl understand the need to accept change in life and taught her how to make new friends. The counsellor also helped her understand what her mother was going through. The team informed her of the harmful effects of excessive mobile phone use and encouraged her to return to a normal routine.

After the extended counselling, the girl promised to start attending school regularly from the next day. Seeing happiness return to her daughter’s face, the mother was moved to tears and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the 181 team.

Why Losing School Friends Can Deepen Distress

According to mental health experts, social support from school friends is a vital source of relief for a child who is already coping with a major family trauma, such as the death of a father or grandfather. A sudden separation from friends can push a child into social withdrawal, they say, with the child turning to a mobile phone as a way of escaping depression.

In such situations, the experts say, it is essential for parents to understand their children’s emotions rather than getting angry with them.