Designing a Comprehensive Legal Framework for Mental Health Support in Indian Higher Education Institutions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29070/4tpk7p33Keywords:
Institutional Accountability, Counselling Services, Crisis Intervention, Preventive Mental Health, Digital Mental Health, Socio-Legal Analysis, Comparative Legal StudyAbstract
In India, mental health issues among students in higher education institutions (hereinafter referred as HEIs) have become a major public health and governance issue. Growing rates of stress, anxiety, despair, and student suicides point to structural weaknesses in institutional support systems. The National Education Policy (hereinafter referred as NEP 2020) and the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017 are two examples of legislation and policy frameworks that recognize mental health but lack institution-specific enforceability in higher education. In addition to identifying implementation gaps and analyzing international best practices from the USA, UK, Australia, and Canada, this article conducts a doctrinal, comparative, and socio-legal examination of current frameworks. Incorporating institutional responsibilities, student rights, regulatory compliance, preventive methods, crisis intervention systems, and accountability structures, it suggests a comprehensive legislative framework specifically designed for Indian HEIs. The study contends that in order to make HEIs accessible, secure, and mentally helpful, a legally binding and organized framework is necessary
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