Chronic stress and emotional distress are among Delhi's top mental health concerns, according to the trends shared by Mpower, an initiative of the Aditya Birla Education Trust. Residents of the national capital are seeking support for issues ranging from low mood and anxiety to coping challenges, it showed.
This pattern also aligns with wider public health findings from Delhi, which indicate a significant burden of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and stress-related disorders.
“What we're seeing is that many people don't come in with a label—they come in with exhaustion, emotional heaviness, irritability, poor sleep, and a sense of being overwhelmed,” Mpower President Parveen Shaikh said. "Often they don't know what to call it, but they know they are not coping the way they used to."
Mpower's programme data indicates that mental health support is being sought across age groups, with young people emerging as a particularly important cohort—especially in education-linked settings.
Key Observations
The 26–49 age group in Delhi's North Zone recorded the highest number of help-seeking cases, indicating that working-age adults are the most affected and actively reaching out for support, Mpower said.
Experts also highlight that emotional distress often overlaps with coping behaviours and functional challenges, and that many individuals delay seeking help due to stigma, fear of judgement, or discomfort with verbal expression, it added. As the need grows, mental health practitioners are increasingly rethinking how mental health support is introduced—especially for first-time help seekers.
Mpower said it recently hosted an "art therapy workshop" in Delhi, designed as a safe, non-verbal space for participants to express thoughts and emotions through creative mediums. It supported emotional release, self-awareness, and stress reduction, making it especially effective for individuals who find verbal expression challenging. The session encouraged reflection, creativity, and emotional grounding in an inclusive and pressure-free environment, the release stated.
“Sometimes the first step is not talking—it's feeling safe enough to begin,” said a facilitator from the session.
"Creative formats like art therapy can help people regulate, express and reflect without pressure, and can open the door to further support when needed," Shaikh added.
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