One in 13 suicides in India in 2022 was of a student: Government data
One such step is the 'MANODARPAN' initiative, a programme offering psychological support through counselling helplines and live sessions.The programme has already reached a large number of students across the country.Alongside this, the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) has been expanded to cover 767 districts.It focuses on suicide prevention and teaches life skills in both schools and colleges. Mental health is also being tied closely with addiction awareness.ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS ADDRESS A GROWING CONCERNRecognising the rise of substance abuse among youth, the government has launched stronger anti-drug campaigns.Higher education bodies, including the University Grants Commission (UGC), have asked institutions to take responsibility for student well-being. The emphasis is now on physical fitness, mental strength, and emotional support.Colleges are encouraged to introduce sports, wellness programmes, and stress management activities on campus.Some leading technical institutions have already started to respond. IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, and IIT Guwahati have begun workshops on mental resilience for students and teachers under the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme.These are important steps. But what remains is the question of everyday care, how teachers, parents, and classmates can spot signs of distress, and how communities can support young people not just when they fall, but before they begin to stumble.This is not just a policy issue. It is a quiet crisis that needs listening, not just planning.(WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)- Ends
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Telemanas helpline in Telangana gets over one lakh calls since its launch in Oct 2022
Hyderabad: Since its launch in October 2022, the Tele-MANAS mental health helpline in Telangana has received more than 1.38 lakh calls from people seeking help for issues such as anxiety, depression, substance use, sleep problems, and suicidal thoughts. The 24/7 helpline, operating from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in Erragadda, is managed by a team that includes two psychiatrists, a clinical psychologist, 14 trained counsellors, and technical and support staff. The helpline offers free, confidential support through the toll-free number 14416. Kamareddy reported the highest number of calls at 19,366, followed by Hyderabad (9,904), Hanamkonda (8,086), Siddipet (7,911), and Vikarabad (7,067). The lowest number of calls were reported from Asifabad (1,144), Jayashankar Bhupalpally (1,359), Mulugu (1,562), Jagityal (1,742) and Nirmal (1,767) You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad Women comprised the majority of callers, with 92,013 reaching out for help compared to 45,911 men. The largest number of calls — 42,641 — came from individuals aged between 18 and 45. The centre receives around 150 to 200 calls daily, providing immediate support and referring serious cases to nearby district mental health programme (DMHP) clinics or govt hospitals.
Mint
2 days ago
- Mint
Deepika Padukone shares ‘landmark' Supreme Court guidelines to protect students' mental health amid rising suicide cases
Deepika Padukone has shared guidelines to safeguard students' mental health. In one of her Instagram Stories, the Bollywood actress shared a post from The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF). She has called it a 'landmark step for Student Mental Health!'. The original post is an abridged version of the landmark Supreme Court guidelines on student well-being. On July 26, the Supreme Court called mental health a part of the basic right to life and dignity under Article 21. Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta shared 15 guidelines and criticised coaching centres for ignoring students' mental well-being. According to the apex court, the guidelines will stay active until proper laws are made. All schools and colleges have been asked to draft a common mental health policy. Their policy must be based on the Ummeed draft, Manodarpan scheme and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. This policy should be reviewed every year and shared on websites and notice boards. These steps came as the court had heard an appeal related to the death of a 17-year-old NEET student in Vishakhapatnam in 2024. The girl's father demanded a CBI probe into her death. While the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed the demand, the top court has now approved it. The court asked institutions with 100 or more students to hire at least one trained counsellor, psychologist or social worker. Smaller institutions must connect with external mental health experts. Schools and colleges must train all staff twice a year in basic mental health care with help from professionals. They must learn how to treat students from weaker or marginalised groups with care and without bias. Institutions must set up safe and private ways for students to report bullying, harassment, ragging or abuse of any kind. Parents must also be made aware of mental health through regular sessions. Schools must keep anonymous records and submit yearly reports on their mental health work. They must focus more on sports, arts and personality-building activities. Exams should be planned better so that students don't feel too much pressure. The aim is to help students grow in every way, not just through marks. "Failure to take timely or adequate action in such cases, especially where such neglect contributes to a student's self-harm or suicide, shall be treated as institutional culpability, making the administration liable to regulatory and legal consequences," the bench said. Deepika Padukone started TLLLF in 2015 after facing anxiety and depression herself. The foundation works to spread awareness about mental health in India. It tries to remove shame linked to mental illness and offers helpful resources. The foundation runs programs that talk about issues like stress, anxiety and depression. TLLLF also works with other groups to reach more people and spread mental health awareness widely.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Hans India
Early detection of emotional distress key to avert suicides among students
Visakhapatnam: Even if victims drop apparent indications much before taking the extreme step, are parents or teachers or peers or friends able to decipher the hints? In a highly-competitive academic framework coupled with an insatiable drive to be on the top of the score chart all through the academic life, students are often subject to relentless pressure both at home and in the school campus. But, as a community, are there any concrete measures in place to help one another, spot early indications of suicidal feelings, flag warning signs and come to the rescueof the child before it is too late? Emotional wellbeing therapists underline that suicides are very much preventive provided the risk factors are recognised early and an action plan is in place to extend support to vulnerable students. They emphasise that such students not only have to be monitored from close quarters but also be given confidence through counselling at frequent intervals. The National Crime Records Bureau-2022 indicates a distressing data of about 1.71 lakh suicides recorded in India. Of them, 13,044 were students and over 2,000 of them were due to failure in examinations. Following the tragic and unnatural death of a 17-year-old girl, who was undergoing coaching for the NEET examination in a private institute in Visakhapatnam two years back, and keeping the alarming statistics in view, the Supreme Court issued comprehensive interim guidelines to safeguard mental health of students across all educational institutions. Underlining that suicide prevention is a binding obligation to safeguard the right to life, health and human dignity, the bench instructed the educational institutions to engage at least one qualified counsellor, psychologist or social worker based on the strength of the school with demonstrable training in child and adolescent mental health. 'Prioritising mental health for students is a welcome move. However, it would take a while for the educational institutions to appoint counsellors and adopt structured planning. Along with institutional support, massive awareness drives to detect signs of psychological distress among children play a pivotal role. Change starts from home. Parents attending parent-teacher-meeting should be made mandatory so that they would be made aware of the wards' emotional health along with academic performance,' suggests Dr. Pujitha Josyula, a psychologist and founder of 99 Mindfit. Dr. Pujitha Josyula recommends setting short and long term strategies focusing on massive sensitisation drives among parents and hostel wardens, holding regular interactive sessions with students, being empathetic, identifying vulnerable students, monitoring them at regular intervals and connecting parents with counsellors as she says that they serve as an effective suicide prevention mechanism. However, in most cases, the child is often conditioned by fear, high academic expectations and constant comparison-driven pressure. Unless such trend changes, clinical psychologists hint that bottled up emotions invariably make people feel singled out. 'There is a need to build a friendly atmosphere at home so that children would look forward to sharing their secrets and fears with any parent or a trusted adult. However, not many are open to communicating with their parents for the fear of being 'judged'. Coordinated efforts in keeping tabs of the warning signs rests on parents, teachers and peers,' asserts Dr. Harilakshmi Venkataramana, a clinical psychologist. Empathising and narrating real time stories with children and making them feel wanted are some of the strategies Dr. Harilakshmi Venkataramana suggests parents adopt for improving emotional wellness of their wards.
