After recording three suicides within a span of two months, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, started a wellness session series for its students yesterday, April 19 onwards. This series is part of a number of initiatives undertaken by the institute to provide every student with an environment filled with harmony and peace.  

What is the objective of the wellness series? 

This programme is being conducted with the support of the National Health Mission (NHM), Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu, for students through talks by renowned professionals involved in enabling mental wellness programmes across the state.

The objective is to increase awareness of mental health and various options available for students to address and mitigate stress whenever it is experienced.

Speaking on the occasion, Shilpa Prabhakar Sathish, IAS, Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Government of Tamil Nadu, highlighted the mental health programme implemented by the Government of Tamil Nadu and the other various mental health activities initiated through the District Mental Health Programme for the mental well-being of school and college students. 

She also shed light on the helplines, the Natpudan Ungalodu-Mananala Seva (14416) and Tele MANAS programme launched in October 2022.
 

Other initiatives

In this context, the Government of Tamil Nadu has taken measures to meet the emergent mental health needs of the students in schools and colleges through the implementation of the Mana Nala Nallaatharavu Mandram (MaNaM) programme. 

MaNaM focuses on promoting the mental health and well-being of students in colleges in the state by empowering them to recognise psychological symptoms early and seek help appropriately.

On March 13, a third-year BTech student from IIT Madras died by suicide which caused an uproar among the students who called to attention incidents that act as an impetus to such incidents within the academic sphere.