:An estimated 35+% student population from India suffer from mental health distress. Depression, obsessive ruminations, anxiety, stress and sexual concerns are some of the main issues along with schizophrenia and other disorders. While early detection and intervention does prevent much distress and decreased academic performance, stigma and fear of being labelled as "weak minded" prevent students from seeking help. Awareness is the key element in the mental health issues. Attitudes which hinder recognition and appropriate help-seeking can be counter-acted by information from reliable and credible sources. Thus, it becomes now opportune to explore the paradigm of mental health awareness as a means of combating stigma, enhancing prevention, ensuring early recognition, and also stimulating simple and practical interventions in the campus.

Dr Rajendra Barve (MD, DPM) is a Consultant Visiting Psychiatrist at IIT Bombay Hospital. He received formal training as a psychiatrist and is an HRD TRAINER, FACILITATOR by design and is also a media personality. His philosophy embodies Western Medical science and soul of Eastern wisdom. In his presentations, he clarifies scientific concept of mindfulness and explains how the association of thinking brain with emotional brain (intelligence) creates state of mindfulness.