Empowering Minds: Tackling Student Mental Health Challenges in India

With a significant portion of Indian students facing mental health challenges, the collaboration between the Ananya Birla Foundation and IHBAS offers a ray of hope. Their initiatives emphasize mental health literacy and provide therapeutic support, aiming to destigmatize mental health issues and integrate support into students' everyday lives.

In a nation where 80% of 250 million students face stressors like academic pressure and social media, mental health is a pressing concern. India's increased student suicide rates underscore the need for urgent intervention, with societal fears and stigma often blocking access to support.

The partnership between the Ananya Birla Foundation and the Government of Delhi's IHBAS represents a notable effort to change this trajectory. They aim to address mental health in schools by integrating therapy and mental health awareness into curriculum. Art-based therapy and narrative sessions allow students to openly express themselves while combating stigma.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy involving school clinics and mobile mental health units. By strategically selecting schools, this program ensures mental health services become a routine part of education, reaching over 20,638 students through group sessions so far. Intensive support is provided for older students grappling with more severe issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)