The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 mandates the state to provide necessary care, treatment, and rehabilitation for persons, particularly students who may, due to the stress of exams or in personal life, attempt to take their lives. One of its most progressive features is that it decriminalises attempts at suicide, seeking to frame it as a mental health concern rather than as a crime.

I have examined suicide data in IITs (23 as of now) since 2005. The availability and quality of data available in the public domain are sketchy. There is certainly under-reporting and possible misclassification of such deaths given the stigma attached to it. I also used reliable sources, such as Parliament questions, the IIT Council website, college annual reports, RTI replies and media reports to compile the data in the analysis.

Here are some of the important takeaways:

1. The number of student suicides in IITs has consistently surpassed student enrolments over both long and short periods, indicating the chronic and acute nature of the problem.

2. Student suicides are often linked to academic stress, job insecurity, family issues, and harassment. However, the specific trigger for each individual’s decision to take their own life may vary.

3. Data suggest that the highest number of suicides occur around end-semester exams, while the lowest occur during mid-semester and end-semester breaks. This further confirms the role of academic pressure in these tragic events.

4. Maximum suicides were reported at IIT Madras (26), IIT Kanpur (18), IIT Kharagpur (13), IIT Bombay (10), IIT Delhi (10), IIT Guwahati (10), and IIT Hyderabad (8). In terms of the age of the institutions, IIT Kharagpur is the oldest, followed by IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi and IIT Guwahati. However, these numbers are indicative that students across the IIT network are affected.

5. The majority of suicides occur within the college campus rather than outside, indicating potential localised triggers within the campus environment.

6. Data on age-wise trends reveal that younger students (18-25 years) have a higher incidence of suicide across age groups indicating a potential gap in coping skills or access to support networks compared to older age group students.

7. Male undergraduates and female PhDs appear to have a higher risk for suicide and severe stress compared to others. Conversely, female undergraduates and male PhDs seem to be less vulnerable (with a lower risk of suicide or severe stress).

What steps can we take to prevent suicides?

Depression is a major risk factor for suicide and can stem from a combination of social, psychological, and biological factors. Adverse life events such as unemployment, bereavement, or trauma can increase vulnerability to depression. Unfortunately, depression can exacerbate stress and dysfunction in a person’s life and compound their struggles both externally and internally.

Institutionally, the IITs can look at certain measures to help those at risk.

1. Redesign academics with a focus on students’ well-being alongside academic excellence by introducing greater flexibility and giving agency to students.

2. Establish a code of fair academic conduct that governs faculty-student interactions and implement time-bound grievance redressal mechanisms. This is especially important for postgraduates and PhD students who receive direct supervision from faculty.

3. Acknowledge and applaud faculty who demonstrate good conduct, while discouraging those who display unfair behaviour on a regular basis.

4. Align academic credits with course load to address discrepancies in workload versus credit earned. This gap has led to higher failing rates in certain courses over the years.

5. Train post-doctoral research staff on compassionate leadership and behavioural sensitivity as they are the primary point of contact for postgraduate and PhD candidates.

6. Leverage machine learning technology to identify students who may be at risk before a crisis occurs, allowing for timely preventive care such as offering leave of absence or outreach-based psychological support.

7. To enhance student support, implement a three-tiered mentoring programme where peers (first responders can be hostel wingmates), seniors (second responders), and alumni can provide assistance. This includes opportunities for internships and job placements, as well as emotional and financial support.

8. Strengthen the college placement office by replacing student coordinators and faculty with professionals and rewarding them for meeting the placement objectives. It would also be beneficial to establish an office of career services for graduates who have not yet found employment, with support from alumni, to address job insecurity among students. Instead of placing a heavy emphasis on placement packages, public relations campaigns by IITs should shift their focus to the percentage of registered students who have been successfully placed and their median salary.

9. In order to protect vulnerable groups from suicides or severe stress, diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives should be emphasised more broadly and even integrated into mental health planning.

10. Parents and friends can be trained to play an important role in identifying any early changes in student behaviour and reporting them to the appropriate support systems at the IITs for necessary follow-up measures.

The implementation of well-being initiatives is crucial. An office of campus wellbeing that will oversee and coordinate various initiatives aimed at promoting mental health and wellness. Collaboration with healthcare professionals for regular mental health surveys will allow us to monitor campus wellness effectively. Additionally, providing resources for self-screening for anxiety and depression among students will help in early detection and intervention. The integration of the campus hospital with a wellness centre will ensure seamless access to mental health services for all. Ideally, students’ health parameters with appropriate weightage must be introduced in the National Ranking Framework for higher education institutions. Once this becomes one of the parameters for deciding government funding, institutes will have an incentive to implement measures to ensure the well-being of all its students.

Dheeraj Singh, IIT Kanpur and IIM Calcutta alumnus is a strategy and finance professional based in Gurgaon. The views expressed are personal.