Med Writes

As dawn breaks over Bengaluru, the city wakes to birdsong and routine. But for many students battling anxiety, depression, and academic pressure, mornings offer no relief. In a city that records six to seven suicide deaths each day, the weight they carry is no longer
invisible. As Maya Angelou once observed, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” In a city confronting rising mental health distress, that untold story is increasingly becoming a public crisis.

According to data from Karnataka’s Home Department, Bengaluru has recorded more than 9,450 suicide deaths in the past four years. Between 2022 and 2025 alone, over 2,000 cases were reported annually — an average of six to seven deaths each day. These figures
underscore not isolated tragedies but a sustained public health emergency. Institutions across the city are beginning to respond. Government initiatives have expanded helplines and NGO partnerships, aiming to improve accessibility to immediate support. In the corporate sector, Infosys has collaborated with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences to train “mental health first aiders,” equipping employees to identify early warning signs of distress. Yet many mental health professionals argue that intervention must begin earlier — inside schools, where patterns of stress first take shape.

At Greenwood High in Sarjapur, administrators have adopted a preventive approach. Through its ‘FLOW’ (Feel Life’s Optimal Worth) department, the school integrates counselling, special education services, structured workshops, and mindfulness practices
into daily campus life. Programs such as “Kicking the Stigma Surrounding Teens and Mental Health” aim to normalise conversations that were once avoided. What appears to be working is normalisation. Students are reportedly more open in discussing anxiety and burnout, and parents acknowledge a visible reduction in stigma. Mental health is no longer confined to the counsellor’s office; it is part of school culture.

However, normalisation does not automatically translate into capacity. Some parents note that while awareness initiatives are consistent, access to sustained, individualised counselling remains limited. Students experiencing prolonged depressive symptoms or academic burnout may require long-term professional support — something schools with finite counsellor resources struggle to scale.
These initiatives are led by Akshatha Jain, Head of Counselling and Psychology. Under her leadership, the department continues to expand outreach and review parental feedback. The critical question is whether such programs will evolve into structurally reinforced systems
with increased staffing and investment.

Bengaluru’s institutions are clearly rethinking mental health support. The shift from silence to conversation is meaningful. Yet in a city losing multiple lives each day, awareness alone is insufficient. If Angelou’s “untold stories” are to be heard — and addressed — schools must
move beyond dialogue and build a durable mental health infrastructure. Only then can reform become systemic rather than symbolic.