AIIMS-Delhi on Wednesday introduced an Artificial Intelligence-powered mental health and wellness programme aimed at addressing suicidal tendencies among students and reducing the stigma linked to mental health issues. The app, named “Never Alone,” was launched on World Suicide Prevention Day and is designed to provide screening, intervention, and post-intervention follow-up for college and university students, according to Dr. Nand Kumar, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS-Delhi, as per PTI.
'Never Alone', the web-based available for consultations
Along with the Delhi centre, the programme has also been rolled out at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Shahdara. According to Dr. Kumar, “Never Alone” is a secure, web-based app available 24/7 through WhatsApp, offering both virtual and offline access to consultations with mental health and wellness experts. He further explained that the app’s basic mental health screening is personalised, highly secure, and costs just 70 paise per student per day.
For students to access the facilities offered by the app, their institutes will need to approach AIIMS-Delhi and subscribe to the service. AIIMS-Delhi will extend this support to all AIIMS campuses free of cost through the Global Centre of Integrative Health (GCIH) — a not-for-profit initiative guided by Dr. Deepak Chopra, a distinguished AIIMS alumnus, author, and globally renowned pioneer in integrative health.
Rising suicide rates among youth
Highlighting the scale of the issue, experts noted that suicide remains a pressing public health challenge. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one person dies by suicide every 45 seconds, with nearly 73% of cases occurring in low and middle-income countries. NCRB records also revealed that 1,70,924 people lost their lives to suicide in 2022, the highest figure in more than five decades. Dr. Kumar emphasised that student suicides are a serious global concern, with India being no exception.
According to PTI, data from 2022 shows that young adults aged 18 to 30 years made up 35% of all suicides, the largest group, followed by those aged 30 to 45 years, who accounted for 32% of cases. Dr. Kumar noted that a public health approach to suicide prevention requires a fundamental shift in how suicide is understood and tackled, including the urgent need for more trained mental health professionals.
Lack of awareness of mental health issues
He explained that the connection between suicide, mental health disorders—especially depression and alcohol dependency—and previous suicide attempts is well documented in high-income countries. However, he added that many suicides occur impulsively during moments of crisis, often triggered by financial stress, relationship conflicts, chronic illness, or severe pain, when individuals find themselves unable to cope.
Dr. Kumar highlighted that nearly 70 to 80 per cent of people with mental health conditions do not seek treatment. A major reason for this treatment gap, he explained, is lack of awareness and the stigma surrounding mental health. He added that this gap is evident even in medical colleges, where psychiatrists and psychologists are available, yet incidents of suicide still occur frequently.
(Discussions on suicides can be triggering for some. But suicides are preventable. If you are looking for help, some suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-40769002 from Sanjivini (Delhi-based, 10 am - 5.30 pm) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based, 8 am - 10 pm), +91 9999666555 from Vandrevala Foundation (Mumbai-based, 24x7).
