Need Help for a Friend: Struggling After Trauma Caused by Family and School Incident

** My friend is going through an extremely tough time, and I wanted to seek advice for him. He’s currently in 12th grade and has been dedicating himself to preparing for NEET. He’s genuinely good at studies, but his family, especially his father, has been doing something that’s really affecting his mental health. Here’s what happened: Despite his hard work and focus, his father is overly worried about him not attending school regularly while preparing for NEET. In an extreme step, his father involved the school principal, instructing him to verbally abuse and scold my friend harshly to make him attend school. When they met the principal, my friend was subjected to harassment and severe verbal abuse. It was a deeply traumatic experience for him. He was so shaken that he couldn’t eat for two days and only slowly regained his appetite after a week. The incident left him demoralized and unmotivated to study or work on anything for days. **The aftermath:** While he has managed to resume studying now, things don’t feel the same for him anymore. He studies for a good amount of time, but his intensity and focus have significantly reduced. He keeps replaying the vile and demoralizing things the principal said to him. It’s constantly in his mind—from the moment he wakes up to when he goes to bed. My friend believes this was done intentionally by his father and the principal to force him to stop preparing for competitive exams and focus solely on board exams. Despite this, he hasn’t given up and continues to fight through. **Current situation:** Now, he’s battling severe depression and suicidal thoughts daily. He feels hopeless, thinking, *"What’s the point of working so hard if someone can just traumatize and break me like this?"* **I need help for him:** 1. **Why would his father do something like this?** Any insights would help. 2. **What are some coping mechanisms that can help him overcome this trauma?** 3. **Any other suggestions to support him during this tough time?** Please help with any advice or perspectives that might be useful for him. He’s really struggling and needs support. Thank you!