Deepika Padukone Shares 15 Guidelines For Student Mental Health On 'Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025'

At Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025, Deepika Padukone shared 15 essential mental health guidelines aimed at helping students manage exam stress and emotional well-being. Drawing from her own mental health journey. 

In the February 2025 edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha, Deepika Padukone-appreciated as a mental health advocate and founder of the Live Love Laugh Foundation-discussed exam-related stress with students all around India. Some of her very important suggestions included. 

Deepika Padukone Shares 15 Guidelines For Student Mental Health:

Express, don't suppress: Talk to family, friends, or teachers.

Sleep is a superpower: Sleep, sunlight, fresh air, hydration, exercise, and meditation are necessary for the maintenance of mental health.

Patience and control over the controllable: Concentrate on preparation rather than results; don't compare; compete only with yourself.

Have frequent breaks: Short breaks help reset focus.

Positive challenges: Be inspired to learn from others but don't let it consume you.

Sharing her candid perspective of dealing with clinical depression since 2015, as an evidence for her advocacy, has been instrumental in breaking the taboo regarding climate change.

Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025

On an unprecedented judgment on July 25-26, 2025,India's Supreme Court issued 15 binding guidelines for all educational institutions that include schools, colleges, coaching centers, and residential campuses to reverse the alarming rise in the suicide rate among students. Deepika shared the guidelines via her Foundation's Instagram Story, calling them a “landmark step for Student Mental Health.”

Uniform Mental-Health Policy

Institutions must adopt and publicly disclose a policy as per the draft UMMEED that will be reviewed annually. The policy will also include the Manodarpan initiative and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.

Qualified Counsellors & Referral Links

For institutions having student strength of 100 and above there must be at least one trained counsellor/psychologist available whereas those below this number must tie up with external professionals.

Best Possible Ratios & Dedicated Mentors

The weight of guidance counselors must assist groups dealing with exams or transitions while maintaining consistency and confidentiality.

No Batch Segregation & Public Shaming

There will be no grouping based on performance or devalued targets; such practices which invariably affect these vulnerable students' mental health are utterly discouraging.

Crisis Protocols& Helpline Visibility

Documented protocols should be established for a quick referral, with national helplines such as Tele- MANAS visibly displayed in hostels, classrooms, common areas, and the institution's website.

Mandatory Staff Training Biannually

Training sessions should be attended and certified by all staff in psychological 1st aid, recognition of warning signs, and responding to self-harming behavior.

Training on At-Risk Students Should Be Inclusive

Teaching staff to support students from marginal-comfort communities like SC/ST/OBC/EWS, LGBTQ+, disabled, and trauma-affected, etc.

Grievance and Anti-Harassment Mechanism

Confidential and concrete channels for reporting and redress to caste, gender, bullying, harassment, rape, and ragging. Immediate referral to mental health professionals is obligatory.

Sensitization of Parents

Sustainably guide parents not to exert undue academic pressure and to recognize signs and ways to respond supportively when a child is distressed

Anonymized Wellness Records & Annual Reports

Institutions to keep track of mental health interventions throughout a year and prepare a report for regulatory authorities.

Develop Interests Besides Academics

Give due importance to sports, arts, and personality development while continuously looking to lessen the stress involved in examination systems.

Career Counselling with Structure

For students and their parents on a regular basis, with a broader perspective beyond scorecards and rigid definitions of merit.

Safe Residential Environment

Hostels need to be defined as drug-free and harassment-free; accessibility to high-risk locations such as rooftops and balconies needs to be barred, and security measures need to include devices, say, tamper-proof fans installed.

Special Focus on Coaching Hubs

The cities of Kota, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Chennai, Delhi, etc. need to apply and monitor enhanced mental health initiatives for aspirants in these high-pressure centres.

Regulatory Oversight & Legal Accountability

States must notify rules within 2 months for coaching centre norms, registration, and grievance redress; failures to act will affect institutional liability. Union Government must submit a compliance affidavit within 90 days.