Q: I am a 16-year-old ICSE student. I am unable to concentrate on my studies. I am very weak in studies and think of running away from home. No one at home helps me in my studies except my father. He lives in another city and is there to help me only for a few days. I usually think of girls, but they do not distract my mind from studies. Whenever I sit to study, my mind only thinks about my home problems. My brother advised me to study at night and sleep late, but that doesn't work either. I feel sleepy after 9:30 p.m. I can't study in the morning, as I feel very sleepy. I have scored very less in my 1st term exam; therefore I don't want to spoil my prelims. My schoolteachers are anti-Muslim. They think that all Muslims are terrorists. Therefore no Muslim boys are successful in life. This discourages me to an extent that I think of committing suicide. My parents do not allow me to watch TV. Please help me to increase the efficiency of my mind to concentrate on my studies.

A:From your description it seems as though you are having difficulty concentrating - many things could lead to this. 1. Lack of interest 2. Increased distractibility 3. Underlying depression/ADHD, etc To begin with try following techniques - 1. Have a fixed time to study (evening or morning - max 1-2 hours - if in evening finish at least 2 hours prior to your bedtime) 2. To begin with, pick a topic from your text that interests you the most. 3. Spend first few minutes revising what you read on a previous day. 4. If you can talk about what you read to others (friends/in class/etc) that helps too. This is a great technique which will not only increase your ability to recall but also will help you in increasing your interest. 5. Try to associate what ever you read to some thing you know OR think on how it is applicable in real life (if you can not figure out ask others/web/books/teachers, etc). I am sure that if you follow all these measures your interest and concentration will definitely improve.