'One In Five Students Rarely Feels Calm': IC3 Report Exposes Alarming Scale Of Student Mental Health Crisis In India

Mumbai: The IC3 Institute has unveiled its Student Suicides Aversion Report–Mental Health & Well-Being, Volume III: The Student Well-Being Pulse Report during the Annual IC3 Conference & Expo 2025 held in Mumbai on August 20–21.

Based on responses from 8,542 students across India, the report highlights the scale of the mental health crisis among young people, with academic performance, career anxiety, and homework ranking as the leading causes of stress.

The conference, themed “Counselling as a Culture”, brought together over 1,500 educators, school leaders, counsellors, and university representatives from 95 countries. The release of the report coincided with wide-ranging discussions on student mental health and the urgent need for systemic support.

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Emotional Distress & Lack Of Support

According to the report, one in five students rarely feels calm, motivated, or excited. Girls were found to be nearly twice as likely to report persistent sadness compared to boys. Almost 40% of students said they did not know where to seek help for mental health issues in their schools, while nearly half reported they had never received structured career counselling. Sleep deprivation is another pressing concern, with three out of four Grade 12 students not meeting the recommended 7–8 hours of rest.

Academic overload and excessive screen time before bed emerged as major contributors. Despite the challenges, there are encouraging signs: more schools now acknowledge the importance of counselling, and awareness among students about support systems is gradually rising. The Supreme Court has also stressed the need for school-based counselling, giving further legitimacy to the issue.

Harish Menon Speaking exclusively to The Free Press Journal, Harish Menon, Founding Chair of the Student Mental Health Taskforce at IC3 Institute, said the focus on student suicides arose from a recognition of the sheer scale of the problem. “In India, student suicides have overtaken farmer suicides in recent years. The numbers have been rising consistently over the last decade. This is not a city-specific problem; it is a nationwide issue,” Menon said, pointing to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data that consistently ranks suicides among students as one of the most alarming national trends.

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Why IC3 Launched The Student Well-Being Report

Tracing the journey of the report, Menon explained that IC3 began with the intent to shine a light on student-specific mental health numbers. “Globally, road accidents are the leading cause of death among adolescents. In India, it is suicides. Yet, until recently, we did not have enough focus on this crisis,” he said. According to him, stigma continues to prevent students from seeking help. “Although resources are becoming available, many students avoid walking into a counsellor’s office for fear of being judged. I call it the ‘walk of shame’,” Menon noted.

Voices Of Students

On why nearly 9,000 students were surveyed this year, Menon said the aim was to hear directly from young people. “We wanted to know their lived experiences, how satisfied they are with school and personal life, their sleep patterns, social media usage, and whether they are comfortable seeking mental health resources. The numbers speak for themselves: a very large proportion of students are unhappy, and satisfaction with school ranks the lowest.”

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Duty Of Care

Given the sensitive nature of the survey, Menon underlined that safeguards were in place to protect participants. “Duty of care was very important. We ensured students answered questions under the supervision of a teacher or parent, and national helplines were provided in case of distress. The language of the questions was also carefully designed to avoid triggering negative thoughts,” he said.

Emerging Stressors: Careers & Body Image

While academic pressure remained the biggest source of stress, the 2025 survey revealed an important shift. “Uncertainty about careers has now become the second leading stressor, rising from much lower levels last year. Students are increasingly anxious about their future,” Menon said. Other stressors included how students are perceived by others, body image issues, financial worries, and the pressure of college admissions. According to Menon, many students try to cope alone, internalising their stress rather than seeking professional help. “They often talk to peers before family or teachers, but friends are not equipped to know what to do in such situations,” he added.

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Shortage Of Professionals

One of the most pressing issues, Menon pointed out, is the lack of trained mental health professionals. “Globally, the recommended ratio is three psychologists for every 100,000 people. In India, the number is just 0.3. Some countries, like the US or UK, operate at six per 100,000, double the recommended ratio. We have a long way to go,” he said. Until the gap is filled, Menon emphasised the importance of community-driven approaches. “Teachers and counsellors need basic training to identify students in distress. They don’t have to solve the problem themselves but can nudge students toward professional help. Models like QPR-Question, Probe, and Refer are simple but effective,” he explained.

Regional Patterns In Suicides

Drawing on NCRB data, Menon noted that Maharashtra consistently reports the highest number of student suicides. Southern states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also figure in the top five. “Together, Maharashtra and South India account for 40–50% of student suicides nationally,” he said, adding that while state-level variations exist, the issue remains national in scope.

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Building Awareness

On the objectives of the report, Menon said the first step is awareness. “Everyone knows mental health is a problem, but many underestimate how widespread it is. We want to drive public conversations that can reduce stigma. More importantly, we want to use evidence-based data to inform policy reform at national and state levels,” he said. He welcomed the Supreme Court’s recent intervention directing CBSE to strengthen school counselling systems. “Policies like the hub-and-spoke model, where resource-rich schools mentor others, are steps in the right direction,” he said, though he cautioned that implementation will take time.

Teachers, Parents, & Institutions

Asked how schools and families can identify problems early, Menon stressed the need to address root causes. “If a student is stressed about the future, then structured career guidance is essential. If it’s academic performance, resilience-building is key. For body image issues, regulating social media usage may help. Each stressor requires a different solution,” he said. He also noted that many students report persistent tiredness linked to late-night phone use and passive scrolling on social media. “Girls, in particular, reported higher levels of daytime fatigue,” he added.

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Capacity Building

To support schools, IC3 offers professional development programs for counsellors, educators, and principals. “Through our programs - Empower, Embark, and others - we integrate mental well-being content and resource kits. Participants implement activities in their schools and graduate with practical experience. The goal is to build counselling capacity across schools, not just in India but globally,” Menon said.

Counselling As A Culture

As the IC3 Movement enters its 10th year, the conference reinforced its mission of embedding counselling into education. The two-day event featured more than 35 expert-led sessions, workshops, and keynote reflections from leaders, including Dr. Indu Shahani, Sanjay Kumar, and cultural figures such as Ratna Pathak Shah and Soha Ali Khan. For Menon, the message is clear: “Mental well-being must be treated as important as academics or physical health. If we want our students to thrive, counselling has to become part of the culture of every school.”