Psychologists blame it on pent-up emotions

COIMBATORE: Psychologists are attributing different reasons, including pent-up rage and sudden outbursts of emotion, as possible factors that could have propelled a minor boy to murder his teacher in school. “This incident is absolutely appalling and shocking. It comes from the pent-up rage and sudden outburst of emotions that the boy was perhaps unable to control,” says Dr P Satishchandra, Director and Vice Chancellor of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore.“We have been seeing the trend rising for quite a few years. Children are unable to control their emotions and many parents have brought their children to us with complaints of sudden outbursts of violence,” he adds. Chennai-based behavioural scientist Dr Renuka Swaminathan, who specialises in child and adolescent psychology, has a different take. “It cannot be ruled out that in some cases the problem arises as a manifestation of an epileptic attack. However, in this case it seems more like a planned murder. But one cannot comment without knowing the personality of the boy in question,” she explains.She says, “Children come to an empty house from school and tune into channels that often showcase violence. Even cartoons are becoming increasingly violent which  sparks off frustration and coupled with no one to share the feelings with; it often manifests itself in a violent form in the child.” Another child counselor at a private school in Chennai says, “With the teachers being non-responsive and insulting in many cases, it gets added to children’s hormonal changes and expressions then turn violent.”