While technology is emerging globally as a key enabler for students’ mental health, India’s higher education system has yet to tap into its full potential. A recent publication by a team of NIMHANS researchers highlighted this and called for a more strategic, evidence-based approach to integrating digital tools into campus mental health services.
The paper, authored by Seema Mehrotra, professor of clinical psychology at NIMHANS, and colleagues, was published in the Online Journal of Public Health Informatics.
The researchers identified a number of barriers to the wider adoption of digital solutions in mental health – from limited evidence from low- and middle-income countries and low levels of digital literacy to the proliferation of unregulated apps, linguistic diversity among users and difficulties in maintaining user engagement.
The need for a clear policy
They emphasized that higher education institutions must implement clear policies on data management, privacy and confidentiality and ensure transparency of digital offerings. They point out that digital platforms should complement human-led services rather than be seen as substitutes.
Considering students’ comfort with technology and its ease of access, the paper highlighted the role of digital tools within stepped care models, where trusted self-help resources can address milder well-being issues, while increased levels of human guidance and professional support are made available for more complex needs.
Effective implementation, the authors emphasized, requires built-in features such as algorithm-driven nudges to encourage help-seeking when needed, clear pathways for crisis support, integration with offline services, and transparent communication about what digital and in-person interventions can and cannot offer.
“Our paper also mapped a wide range of potential applications for technology-enabled platforms,” said Dr. Mehrotra The Hindu.
“These include training institutional leaders and faculty on student support practices, developing repositories of trusted information for students, providing anonymous tools for self-monitoring, hosting moderated spaces for peer support, offering minimally directed self-help programs, conducting targeted outreach to students in need who are not seeking professional help, enabling blended care models that integrate digital self-help with access to crisis line therapies and improvement.”
Policy level measures
Importantly, the authors pointed to several actions required at the policy level. These include formulating national guidelines for mental health app developers, creating user guidance tools, etc.
The paper called for increased public investment, dedicated budget lines for student mental health, exploration of blended funding models and long-term research into implementation effectiveness to understand how digital mental health systems can be meaningfully integrated into mainstream services.
The paper concludes that when thoughtfully embedded in campus ecosystems, technology can expand access, reduce stigma, and increase effectiveness of student mental health care. But meaningful progress will require sustained investment in research, robust national policy frameworks, etc., she said.
Digital tools, the authors emphasized, must complement, not replace, the human relationships that remain critical to fostering student well-being.
Published – 11 Dec 2025 21:33 IST
