Supreme Court Panel Survey: 9% Report Frequent Suicidal Thoughts, 15% Prolonged Distress

A nationwide survey being analysed by the Supreme Court-appointed National Task Force on student mental health has highlighted significant wellbeing concerns among students in higher education institutions. Among more than 2.43 lakh student responses included in the findings reported so far, around 15% said they had experienced a prolonged period of distress, low mood or anxiety during the previous six months, while 9% reported experiencing suicidal thoughts often or very often during the previous year.

The findings are expected to contribute to the National Task Force's final report on student mental health and suicide prevention in higher education.

Student Mental-Health Survey: Key Findings

More Than 2.43 Lakh Student Responses Analysed

The newly reported findings are based on responses from more than 2.43 lakh higher-education students. Around 67% of respondents in this dataset belonged to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or Other Backward Class categories.

Students also reported concerns linked to academic choices, employment prospects, institutional support and their broader campus experience.

Survey Findings Come With an Important Limitation

The percentages should not be interpreted as meaning that exactly 9% or 15% of all higher-education students in India experience these conditions.

Officials involved in the exercise have cautioned that the current sample is not representative and described the observations as preliminary and tentative. Analysis of additional survey questions, including open-text responses, is continuing.

This distinction is important because the survey is intended to identify patterns and institutional gaps that can inform future policy rather than provide a clinical diagnosis of individual students.

Counselling Availability Emerges as a Concern

One of the major institutional findings concerns access to support. Roughly 32% of respondents said their institution did not provide counselling services.

At the same time, 56% said they trusted their administration to deal with serious issues fairly, indicating considerable variation in students' experiences across institutions.

Emerging recommendations being considered by the task force include:

• Standardised student-support systems across institutions
• Faculty sensitisation and training
• Clear crisis-response standard operating procedures
• Measures to reduce stigma around seeking mental-health support
• Regular monitoring using reliable institutional data
• More transparent and responsive grievance and administrative systems

Why Was the National Task Force Created?

The Supreme Court constituted the National Task Force on March 24, 2025 to examine mental-health and wellbeing concerns among students in higher education and recommend measures for suicide prevention.

Its mandate includes identifying major contributing factors, examining existing laws and institutional policies, and proposing reforms intended to make higher-education environments safer, more inclusive and supportive.

Alongside surveys, the task force has conducted institutional visits and stakeholder consultations covering issues such as caste discrimination, disability, gender, academic pressures and access to mental-health services.

Final Report Expected by October 31

The Supreme Court has allowed the National Task Force until October 31, 2026 to submit its final report.

The final document is expected to combine survey analysis with institutional visits, stakeholder consultations and examination of existing policies before recommending reforms for colleges, universities, regulators and government authorities.

Until that full analysis is released, the latest percentages should be understood as preliminary findings that point to areas requiring closer attention rather than as nationally representative prevalence estimates.