On World Suicide Prevention Day: IIT Mandi Partners with QPR India to Foster a Supportive Campus Environment

On World Suicide Prevention Day, IIT Mandi’s Guidance and Counselling Cell
Successfully Organized a One-Day Suicide Prevention Training Program

Aligned with its long-term vision of fostering a
comprehensive ecosystem for the emotional well-being and mental health of students,
faculty, and staff, IIT Mandi is proactively advancing measures to ensure a mentally
resilient and supportive campus. As part of this endeavour, the institute’s Guidance and
Counselling Cell (GCC) organised a one-day Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training
Programme in collaboration with QPR Institute India, the Indian arm of the globally
recognised QPR Institute (USA), at its campus.
The training equipped participants with life-saving skills through the QPR
methodology—Question, Persuade, and Refer—an evidence-based intervention designed
to help individuals identify the warning signs of a suicidal crisis, intervene effectively, and
connect the person at risk to professional care. The QPR methodology draws an analogy to
CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) in physical health emergencies. Just as CPR trains
laypersons to respond to cardiac arrest, QPR empowers individuals across diverse settings
to act swiftly when faced with a potential suicidal crisis (Quinnett, 2000).
The programme witnessed active participation from a broad cross-section of the campus
community, including Wardens, Assistant Wardens, Staff from the Dean’s Office, staff
from the Academic Section, and Faculty Members, from various schools of the
institute. These stakeholders are directly engaged with students on a daily basis and play a
pivotal role in shaping their academic and personal well-being. The training was conducted
with the clear intention of creating a strong bridge between students and the support
system, fostering a compassionate environment, and promoting a holistic approach to
mental health and well-being.
By empowering key members of the Academic and Administrative community, IIT Mandi
reinforces its commitment to creating a supportive and suicide-safe ecosystem where early
intervention is encouraged, and professional care is made easily accessible.

The QPR program has been scientifically vetted by NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental
Health and Neurosciences) and recommended by the Government of India in its Facilitator’s
Manual for Suicide Prevention Workshops. The program provided a special platform for
participants to openly discuss their thoughts on this topic. Participants received a
certificate from QPR Institute, a suicide prevention manual and wallet card, a compiled list
of India-specific suicide prevention resources.
Prof Laxmidhar Behera, IIT Mandi Director, said, “Student well-being is our highest
priority at IIT Mandi. We believe that academic excellence must go hand in hand with
emotional resilience and mental health support. With different initiatives like counseling
services and wellness courses, we are building a multilayered framework for mental health.
Through mental health programs like QPR training, we are making sure that our students
have access to holistic care and life-saving skills.
The event was the graced by Nelson Vinod Moses, Founder and CEO at QPR Institute
India, as the guest speaker, he said, “Every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide
somewhere in the world, and in India alone over 100,000 lives are lost to suicide each year.
The most vulnerable population is students, especially those who are career driven and
preparing for competitive exams. To help such students, the QPR training teaches ordinary
people skills, which are extraordinary in that they prepare people to recognize warning
signs, ask the right questions, and refer a person to safety. There are over six million
Gatekeepers trained in the world and over 50,000 in India, we are building a strong safety
net of informed citizens that can help prevent someone from dying!”
Nelson is a TEDx speaker and a suicide prevention expert. As an award-winning mental
health journalist, his writing has been published in national and international publications.