A recent survey conducted by Mpower, an Aditya Birla Education Trust mental healthcare project, showed worrisome findings about India’s young mental health situation.
The poll, which was conducted across 30 campuses, including Indraprastha Engineering College and Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College in Delhi, revealed that 69% of students were unable to detect the tell-tale indications of someone contemplating suicide.
While the majority of youth reported not recognizing suicide risk signs, a smaller group—31%—stated they were able to identify key indicators such as social withdrawal. This knowledge gap highlights a critical lack of awareness around mental health crises.
The survey also uncovered that 67.3% of students admitted to feeling hopeless at some point, with 58.4% citing academic pressure as a leading source of distress.
Despite these concerning figures, only 15% of students have sought professional help.
Most (58%) would turn to friends first in times of mental distress, while a mere 2% said they would reach out to a counsellor or professor.
This underlines the severe lack of accessible mental health support in educational institutions.
Neerja Birla, Founder of Mpower, acknowledged the positive steps taken by the Indian government, such as placing psychologists in high-stress environments like Kota.
However, she stressed the need for a broader, multipronged approach to suicide prevention, saying, “Breaking the stigma around mental health and promoting help-seeking behaviour are vital.”
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Source: India Today
