Candidates are now in the final stretch before the start of the University Entrance Exams 2026. This period, traditionally loaded with anxiety, this year begins under the heavy shadow of a tragic event, as the loss of two 17-year-old female students in Ilioupoli left the entire nation frozen and filled with relentless questions. In light of this tragedy and the enormous psychological pressure experienced by teenagers, Clinical Psychologist – Psychotherapist, Anastasia Palaiodimou spoke to parapolitika.gr.
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In a riveting and deeply human interview, Ms. Palaiodimou analyzes why university entrance exams are treated as a matter of “life and death,” decodes the hidden “red flags” in children’s withdrawal, and provides a valuable survival guide for parents who want to become a real safety net for their children’s souls.
Survival guide for university entrance exams: What a clinical psychologist reveals to parapolitika.gr
Ms. Palaiodimou, the recent tragic event in Ilioupoli with the two 17-year-old students left us frozen. As a society we tend to treat university entrance exams as a “matter of life and death.” How does a teenager reach the point of feeling that failure in an exam equals the end of their very existence?
The recent tragic event in Ilioupoli reminded us how easily a teenager can connect their worth with a performance. University entrance exams in Greece are often loaded as a “final opportunity” and not as one of the many paths a child can follow.
When a teenager feels that love, acceptance, or their future depends on a grade, then failure can be experienced as personal collapse and not as a difficult moment that can be overcome.
Many times parents tell their children “it doesn’t matter if you fail, we love you.” Why is this phrase often not enough to reassure a teenager suffering from deep depression or extreme anxiety?
The phrase “it doesn’t matter if you fail, we love you” is important, but often not enough when a child is under deep psychological pressure. A teenager with intense anxiety or depressive symptoms has often already convinced themselves that their worth depends on success. At that moment they don’t just need words of reassurance, but steady presence, emotional security, and an adult who can “withstand” their fear and despair without judging them.
Teenagers often isolate themselves or hide their thoughts. What are the “red flags” in a child’s behavior that show their anxiety has exceeded “normal” creative stress and become dangerous?
There are some signs that should not be underestimated: intense isolation, major changes in sleep or diet, constant crying or angry outbursts, excessive fear of failure, self-neglect, expressions like “I can’t take it anymore” or “nothing makes sense.” Teenagers often don’t directly ask for help; they often show it through their behavior.
Is there a difference in how girls express psychological pressure compared to boys? How can we distinguish a typical teenage outburst from a cry for help?
Girls more often turn the pressure inward, with guilt, self-criticism, and withdrawal, while boys may express distress with intensity, anger, or distancing. However, there are no absolute rules. What we need to observe is the intensity and duration of the change in a child’s behavior. A teenage outburst usually passes, a cry for help persists and affects the child’s overall functionality and mental state.
How much weight do we unconsciously transfer to our children as parents? Even when we don’t pressure them openly, how do they pick up on our unfulfilled ambitions or our anxiety about their future?
Parents often unintentionally transfer their own anxieties and expectations. Even when they don’t pressure openly, children “read” the anxiety, the concern for the future, and the need for success. A parent may say “I don’t care about grades,” but the child may feel that failure will hurt or disappoint their family. Teenagers are extremely sensitive to the emotional climate of the home.
If a child feels they are “writing badly” or if failure ultimately comes, what should be the immediate reaction of parents in the first hours and days, so they function as a safety net?
If a child feels they didn’t write well or if failure comes, the first hours are crucial. There’s no need for interrogations, comparisons, or hasty solutions. What’s needed is calm, presence, and the message: “I’m here and we’ll get through this together.” The child must first feel safe and accepted and then be able to handle the disappointment and think about next steps.
In the final stretch of exams, everyday life at home resembles a minefield. How can a parent create an environment of “emotional decompression” instead of a house-barracks?
In the final stretch of exams, the home needs to function as a space for decompression and not as a performance “headquarters.” It’s important to have moments of relaxation, conversations that don’t only concern studying, humor, rest, and a sense that the child is not constantly being evaluated. The more pressure is reduced inside the home, the more the teenager’s sense of security is strengthened.
What role does physical health (sleep, nutrition, abstaining from screens/social media) play in stabilizing their psychology during this period?
Physical health plays a crucial role in mental resilience. Lack of sleep, poor nutrition, and constant exposure to screens and social media increase anxiety and mental exhaustion. Stable sleep, proper body care, some movement, and breaks from the overstimulation of social media substantially help in regulating stress and emotions.
As a psychologist, if you could put all the parents in the country in one room right now and tell them just one phrase to protect their children’s souls, what would it be?
If I could say just one phrase to parents, it would be this: “Your child needs to know that their worth will never be judged by a grade, but by feeling they have people who love them even in their most difficult moments.”
