MENTOR

Overview

The project will be implemented in government schools of Bhopal during 2025-2027. We aim to reduce the incidence of symptoms of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation in 13-17-year-old students in urban Bhopal, through a combination of-

1) Gatekeeper-training of teachers to identify, support and refer students at-risk of mental health concerns,

2) A direct skill-building program for students to enable them to deal with adverse life events and manage stress,

3) A linkage established for at-risk students to visit/seek help from nearby mental health professionals.

Rationale

India reports the largest number of suicide deaths globally, and particularly among its adolescent population, suicidal behaviour is quite high and not adequately estimated, for instance, due to lack of standard and uniform reporting, stigma and fear of legal consequences. A recent review of 19 studies established a pooled prevalence of 11% for Indian adolescent suicidal thoughts. While effective school-based suicide prevention interventions exist in high-income countries, the intervention models need contextual adaptation in India, such as teacher-gatekeeper training (being deployed by state NHM for schools in Bhopal), building critical skills in students to negotiate with stress, and timely referral of at-risk students for professional care. This is vital given the limited numbers of mental health professionals. Urgent action is needed to adapt and implement evidence-based suicide prevention programs in Indian schools to meet SDG 3.4.

Partner/s

Partner- National Health Mission (NHM), Madhya Pradesh, India

Funder- Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies Foundation (RNPF)