Telangana tops India in students seeking mental health support

Telangana recorded the highest number of students seeking mental health support in India, with over one lakh students accessing counselling services in 2024. The Supreme Court-appointed task force also highlighted gaps in mental health infrastructure and rising substance abuse among students.

Hyderabad: Telangana emerged as the national topper in students seeking mental health support, highlighting growing concerns over students’ psychological well-being while also reflecting the increased demand for counselling services in the State.

The interim report of the Supreme Court-constituted National Task Force (NTF) on Mental Health of Students and Prevention of Suicides in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country, released on Tuesday, pegged the number of Telangana students seeking mental health support at over one lakh, the highest in the country, in 2024.

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As per the report, which cited information provided by the Ministry of Health, more than 3.6 lakh students from across the country sought mental health support. Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra reported between 30,000 and 40,000 students seeking counselling services. Similarly, figures between 1,000 and 15,000 were reported from 15 other States.

Some States such as Kerala and Sikkim and Union Territories such as Lakshadweep and Ladakh reported fewer than 200 students seeking such services. Interestingly, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland reported zero students seeking government mental health services. “Since the manner in which such data is being captured is unclear, it is difficult to draw any inference from the same,” the report said.

The NTF conducted field visits to 30 HEIs across 10 States since May 2025 to enable engagement with regional and institutional contexts. It also conducted 25 stakeholder consultations to ensure an interdisciplinary and equity-oriented approach.

Since January 2026, the NTF has completed additional consultations on students and faculty with disabilities, caste discrimination in higher education, gender, mental health and suicides, students from ST and OBC communities, mental health and decriminalisation of suicide, the gender question in student suicides in higher education, consultations with mental health NGOs and consultations with law students.

During its survey, the NTF found that there were no mechanisms or in-house professional mental health services in some of the institutions visited. Students relied on external help or peer support. For many students, external services were too expensive and efforts to build collective links with external providers did not succeed, particularly in nursing and law institutions. Some institutions did not have in-house mental health service providers (MHSPs), and student MHSPs had to rely on seniors or alumni.

Substance abuse and digital addictions were extremely common in most institutions, with students blaming them largely on peer pressure as well as using them as a way of dealing with intense academic stress, the report added.

• Over 3.6 lakh students from across the country sought mental health support
• Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra reported between 30,000 and 40,000 students seeking counselling services
• States such as Kerala and Sikkim and Union Territories such as Lakshadweep and Ladakh reported fewer than 200 students seeking counselling services
• The NTF found that there were no mechanisms or in-house professional mental health services in some of the institutions visited
• Substance abuse and digital addictions were extremely common in most institutions: Interim report