According to Vice India, "In 2019, IIT Madras, located in the southern Indian city of Chennai, announced a suicide-prevention device on its dorm fans, which will make a fan drop if a weight of over 40 kilograms is attached to it.”
Did you know that In 2019, more than 90,000 young Indians died by suicide? We aren’t dying because of pandemics. We’re dying because our mental health isn’t prioritised. And, 4Indian institutions still don’t realise that they are behind this.
Institutional mental health threats can be many – not just academic, financial and parental pressure. Indian institutions, be it a school, college or a coaching institute of Kota- have so many other factors which can affect the mental health of its students.
Institutional patriarchy, fake morality, casteism, queerphobia, ableism, bullying etc to name a few. Plus, the absence of trauma informing. It might seem that these factors are trivial but they are indeed instrumental.
A mental health positive environment is the bare minimum that students need for their holistic health. This includes making the institution mentally safe for all students taking into consideration of all their intersectionalities.
It needs a full fledged change. Curriculum, instruction and institutions need to be student friendly. Trauma informed, queer affirmative mental health professionals should be made available regularly.