Round Table Dialogues on Suicide Prevention: Breaking the silence and listening to youth voices

Map Icon NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bengaluru
Calendar Icon 9th September 2025

On World Suicide Prevention Day, the ICMR Centre for Advanced Research in Digital Mental Healthcare, the Microsoft‑Funded Project on Digital Psychological Interventions, and the ICMR Multistate Implementation Project on Suicide Risk Reduction and Student Well‑being— in collaboration with AIESEC Bengaluru and Rotaract District 3191—organized a city‑wide dialogue with 220 student leaders to amplify youth voices and co‑create actionable solutions for mentally healthy campuses.

The event brought together 220 student leaders from 35 colleges and universities across Bengaluru to discuss student mental health and suicide prevention. The dialogue served as a platform to amplify youth voices, encourage peer support, and co-create actionable solutions for nurturing supportive campus environments.

Events Highlights

Themes of Dialogue

Discussions were structured around 3 central questions

For themselves

What can students do to manage struggles and strengthen their own well-being?

For each other

How can students build and sustain supportive peer networks?

For institutions

What can colleges and universities do to create responsive systems of support?

Youth‑Led Digital Campaign

The dialogues culminated in a live Instagram campaign, where students pledged their support for suicide prevention and mental health— replacing stigma with understanding, silence with dialogue, and isolation with support.

Opening Address

Dr. Seema Mehrotra , Professor of Clinical Psychology at NIMHANS, Principal Investigator, and member of the National Task Force on Student Mental Health & Suicide Prevention, urged students to take these conversations back to campuses and build sustainable, student‑driven solutions.

Impact

A collaborative space where youth voices shaped mental‑health strategies for higher education. The active participation and recommendations reaffirm the role of students as partners in preventing suicide and promoting well‑being in India.