Conversations play key role in preventing suicides, says psychiatrist

Stating that a conversation can go a long way in preventing suicides, EASE-A.P. Medical Director and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Aparna Vuppala said, “It is high time we overcome the stigma around mental health and start a conversation about it.”

EASE—Emotional Assessment of Students by Educators—is an initiative being implemented across the State to identify mental stress and emotional difficulties among medical students at an early stage and to help them receive timely support before problems become severe.

Addressing the media at the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (Dr. NTRUHS) in Vijayawada on Monday (October 5, 2026) Dr. Aparna stressed the importance of identifying stress and emotional difficulties at an early stage. “Medical students face significantly higher stress when compared to peers in other fields, and when there is no support from parents or faculty too, it can leave a debilitating impact on them,” Dr. Aparna said, adding that parents and teachers should always lend a patient ear to a student’s problems.

While listing measures that can be taken to prevent suicides among students, Dr. Aparna, along with Dr. NTRUHS Vice-Chancellor P. Chandrasekhar, emphasised the need for strengthening of the mentor-mentee system. “Every teacher should be a mentor for five-six students, and should interact with them once in a week to ensure their mental well-being,” she said.

Dr. Chandrasekhar added that the mental well-being of future doctors is inseparably linked to the quality of healthcare they will provide.

The initiative, EASE, was launched in the State on January 6, 2023, and is being implemented by QPR Institute India (QPRI) and Suicide Prevention India Foundation (SPIF), in collaboration with Dr. NTRUHS and the Directorate of Medical Education.

As part of the initiative, training was given to students in 17 government and 19 private medical colleges between November 2025 and January 2026, on subjects covering mental health and emotional distress, recognition of warning signs, stress management, sleep hygiene, active listening, peer support, appropriate referral and reduction of stigma around seeking help. Students showed improvement on various indicators after the training, Dr. Aparna said.

Registrar T. Sai Sudheer and others were present in the programme.