“Never Alone”: AIIMS’s New Initiative to Support Student Mental Health
On World Suicide Prevention Day, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, officially launched a pioneering mental health initiative—Never Alone—designed to support college and university students grappling with stress, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. The programme, backed by AIIMS Delhi and extending to AIIMS Bhubaneswar and the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Shahdara, aims to provide accessible, affordable, and stigma-free mental wellness care. (India Today).
Why This Matters
Mental health challenges among students in India have been increasing, accentuated by academic pressure, social expectations, financial stress, and other life uncertainties. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, over 1.70 lakh people died by suicide in 2022, the highest number in 56 years, and 35% of these were young adults aged 18-30. Despite these alarming figures, 70-80% of people with mental health issues do not seek help, largely due to stigma, lack of awareness, or hesitation. (The Times of India)
AIIMS’s “Never Alone” is intended to close the gap between need and access, providing care early and continuously, so students don’t have to face mental health challenges alone. (The Indian Express)
Key Features of the Never Alone App/Programme
Here are the major features of Never Alone:
| Feature | Description |
| 24-by-7 Access | Students will have round-the-clock mental health support via the app, which includes screening, counselling, intervention, and follow-up care. (The Times of India) |
| Web-based & WhatsApp Integration | The service is accessible via a secure web-platform and also through WhatsApp (plus via QR code scanning), to lower technical barriers and make access simpler. (The Indian Express) |
| Virtual & Offline Consultation | Users can choose virtual counselling or face-to-face/offline consultations, depending on what they are comfortable with. (India Today) |
| Screening, Intervention, and Follow-Up | The app doesn’t just provide one-time help: it begins with screening, followed by intervention when needed, and continuous follow up. (India Today) |
| Personalised & Secure Screening | The mental health screening is personalised (tailored to the individual) and secured; it uses standard diagnostic criteria such as those in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). (The Indian Express) |
| Affordability | For educational institutions subscribing to the programme, the cost is very low — about ₹0.70 per student per day. However, all AIIMS institutions across India will get access to the service free of cost through the Global Centre of Integrative Health (GCIH). (India Today) |
| Institutional Subscription & Roll-out | Apart from AIIMS centres, other colleges/universities can subscribe to use the programme. It has already been launched in AIIMS-Delhi, AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, and IHBAS Shahdara. (The Indian Express) |
Potential Impact and Challenges
If well implemented, “Never Alone” could significantly reduce the treatment gap by:
- Encouraging early detection (through screening) which can prevent escalation.
- Reducing stigma by making support easily accessible and anonymous in early stages.
- Offering continuous care not just one-off help.
- Reaching underserved students and institutions thanks to affordability.
However, there are also likely challenges:
- Ensuring privacy and data security, especially with sensitive psychological data.
- Ensuring enough qualified mental health professionals for follow-ups and offline consultations.
- Awareness and uptake among students, particularly in remote or underserved regions.
- Sustaining funding and resources, especially for institutions that must subscribe.