Beyond Individual Distress: Re-evaluating Mental Health as a Social and Structural Crisis in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)”.

OVERVIEW OF THE INSTITUTION

National Law University Odisha, Cuttack was established by Act 4 of 2008 by the Odisha State Legislature keeping in mind an enunciated vision of advancement of learning, teaching, research, diffusion of knowledge in the field of law and catering to the needs of society by developing the professional skills of those intending to take up the professions of Advocacy, Judicial Services, Legal services, and so on. National Law University, Odisha is committed to providing an atmosphere in which academic excellence is the foremost priority for students. Along the lines of this vision, NLUO has significantly catered to the needs of the research in various legal fields by paving way for various dedicated research centers and societies. Such endeavors enable students to pursue individual interests and take part in various literary and recreational activities throughout the academic year.

The Kautilya Society NLUO is one of such initiatives of NLUO which aims at promoting study, research, and informed deliberation in the field of public policy, with an application-oriented and information-dissemination purpose.

ABOUT KAUTILYA SOCIETY NLUO

Kautilya Societies are student initiatives in universities across the country set up by Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy (“Vidhi”) with the aim to widen access to legislative drafting and analysis, and to empower young minds to explore public policy as a career path. The Kautilya Society, NLUO Chapter has been set up at National Law University Odisha, in association with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

The Kautilya Society initiative envisions providing opportunities to their students for successful careers in public policy and other related fields such as development, advocacy, consultancy, campaigning, financial analysis, economics and research. The vision of the society is to provide awareness and opportunities for students to nurture their interest in public service and policy as career options with a view to becoming good citizens of India.

EVENT DETAILS

Introduction

The Kautilya Society NLUO, in collaboration with the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy (‘Vidhi’), is pleased to invite you to a Panel Discussion titled, “Beyond Individual Distress: Re-evaluating Mental Health as a Social and Structural Crisis in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)” on 6th September 2026 via Google Meet

For decades, institutional responses to student distress in higher education have defaulted to a biomedical or clinical framework, treating mental health challenges primarily as individual psychological vulnerabilities. However, the alarming rise in student distress across Higher Educational Institutions indicates that individual-centric models are insufficient. Taking inspiration from the Report submitted by Vidhi in collaboration with Kautilya Society fellows to the National Task Force on Mental Health of Student and Prevention of Suicides in HEIs, this discussion aims to shift the focus from viewing student mental health as an isolated medical issue to diagnosing it as a structural, social, and institutional crisis.

About the Panellists

Dr. Debadutta Mohapatra

Dr. Debadutta Mohapatra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry, psychopharmacology, consultation-liaison psychiatry, and rehabilitation psychiatry. An accomplished researcher and clinician, she has authored 47 PubMed-indexed publications and 3 book chapters, led 15 ICMR-funded research projects alongside 8 other funded studies, and delivered over 50 presentations across national and international platforms. Her distinguished contributions to the field have earned her numerous accolades, including the Best Researcher Award at AIIMS Bhubaneswar for three consecutive years (2023–2025), the Late Prof. Dr. G. C. Boral Memorial Award, and a fellowship in brain stimulation at NIMHANS, Bangalore. In addition to her clinical and research work, Dr. Mohapatra holds several leadership roles, serving as the Honorary Secretary of the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) Odisha State Branch, Convenor of the IPS Child Psychiatry Specialty Section, and Co-Chairperson of the IPS Publication Subcommittee.

Shireen Yachu

Shireen Yachu is a Senior Resident Fellow, Health at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. Her work focuses on end-of-life care, advance care planning, suicide prevention & mental health, and gender rights. Prior to joining Vidhi, she worked at the Office of Dr Virander Singh Chauhan on issues surrounding gender rights, health policy, and education. She holds a Master’s degree in Sociology from the Delhi School of Economics. Her areas of interest include public health, gender rights, education, and environment.

Pratyay Panigrahi

Pratyay is a Research Fellow in the Founders’ Office at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, Delhi. He holds an LLM from the London School of Economics and a BA LLB (Hons) from the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. He is interested in public law, with a special emphasis on civil rights, institutional accountability and comparative constitutional law. Prior to joining Vidhi, he has worked as a full-time Research Assistant to a Senior Advocate, as an Occasional Research Assistant at the London School of Economics and as a Regulatory Analyst at RegGenome.

Somya S. Mohapatra

Somya S. Mohapatra is a Mental Health Expert with 15 years of experience in Psychotherapy, Counselling and Training in the field of Mental Health – Awareness, Prevention and Treatment. At present she works as the Chief Psychologist at Manam Foundation. She has been actively involved in Training sessions with the Government of Odisha (Tele-Manas/Odisha Correctional Institutions/Schools, Colleges), the Public Health Foundation of India, the UNICEF and other non-profit organization and Corporates for Mental Health Awareness, Adolescents’ Mental Health Care and Suicide Prevention. She is a MSW Graduate from TISS Mumbai and has a Psychological Counselling PG certification from CCC, Vellore. She is a Life Member of Association of Psychological Counselling and has a paper publication there as well. She excels in Interactive Learning Sessions with persons of varied age groups, cultures and interdisciplinary studies and exposure. Apart from Therapy Counselling she loves writing articles, cooking, dancing and travelling to nature sites.

Event Schedule and Eligibility

Date: 6th September 2026 (Sunday)

Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Platform: Google Meet

Joining Link: https://meet.google.com/sbk-gofp-qky

Eligibility: Open to all students, faculty, and external participants.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For any queries you can mail the Society at ksociety@nluo.ac.in

Further, you can contact the persons below:

Convenor: Aryan Chowdhury (+91 8318262740)

Co-Convenor: Nidhi Rai (+91 9560392741)

Flyer