A paradigm shift in mental health policy

The Supreme Court of India recently formed a National Task Force to address the rising number of student suicides in higher education institutions, particularly IITs. This move follows multiple suicides at IIT Delhi in 2023 and reflects a larger concern over institutional failure in addressing discrimination, mental health, and support structures on campuses.

Systemic Gaps in Institutional Mental Health Response

• Over-Reliance on Individualised Solutions: Institutional responses often centre around hiring more psychologists, ignoring structural factors like caste, gender, and policy-induced discrimination. This narrow view fails to address the root causes of psychological distress in academic environments.
• Discriminatory Policies and Language: Most IIT counselling centres do not use queer-affirmative language or gender-inclusive pronouns, showing a lack of compliance with the Supreme Court's NALSA (2014) judgment and its 2023 Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes.
• Lack of Inclusive Frameworks: The absence of anti-discrimination policies and gender-diverse recognition in campus systems actively contributes to a hostile environment for marginalised students, exacerbating mental health vulnerabilities.

Role of Language, Culture, and Classroom Dynamics

• Language as Power and Inclusion: Inclusive language such as the use of preferred pronouns signals institutional fairness and identity safety. It affirms gender-diverse individuals and acts as a preventive public mental health intervention.
• Exclusion in Everyday Campus Culture: Statements like “teachers talk only about grades” reflect an academic culture that prioritises performance over human dignity and emotional well-being, undermining the ethic of care.
• Culturally Unsafe Attendance Policies: Arbitrary attendance rules further stress students already struggling, especially those facing discrimination. Teacher-student engagement must be reimagined as a space of empathy and relational learning.

Need for Paradigm Shift in Mental Health Policy

• Care Ethics Over Compliance Checklists: Current campus mental health efforts remain reactive and tokenistic. There is a pressing need to integrate care ethics into institutional design, curriculum, and policy.
• Psychologists Must Challenge Policy-Level Harms: It is a violation of public mental health ethics when mental health professionals conform to policies that perpetuate harm. They must advocate for structural reform, not just provide therapy.
• Bottom-Up Mental Health Strategy: True transformation requires a bottom-up approach rooted in classrooms and student life. This involves mapping contextual challenges and building safe, democratic academic spaces that prioritise mental wellness alongside intellectual growth.

Practice Question

Q. “The mental health crisis in Indian higher education institutions is rooted not just in individual distress but in systemic exclusion.” Critically analyse this statement in the light of recent judicial and policy interventions. Suggest reforms to create inclusive and empathetic campus environments.