Low Mood and Stress Among Top Reasons People Seek Mental Health Support in Mumbai, Reveals Mpower Internal Data

Mumbai, February, 04th 2026: In Mumbai’s high-pressure environment, emotional distress is increasingly manifesting as persistent low mood, chronic stress, and disrupted sleep—rather than only as acute or visible crises. Internal mental health trends from Mpower, an initiative of the Aditya Birla Education Trust led by its Founder and Chairperson, Mrs Neerja Birla, indicate that low mood and related symptoms account for 32.20% of reported concerns, making this is the most common reason individuals seek support. Stress arising from academic pressures, workplace demands, and relationship challenges follows at 20.47%. Together, these concerns comprise more than half of all reported mental health issues, underscoring the growing burden of everyday psychological distress in urban settings.

Other prominent concerns include symptoms suggestive of losing touch with reality (12.01%) and sleep disturbances (8.46%), indicating that mental health struggles are frequently affecting daily functioning, stability and emotional regulation.

“What we’re seeing is not just anxiety or depression as labels—people are coming in with exhaustion, overwhelm, low motivation, and difficulty coping,” said Dr. Harshida Bhansali, Psychiatrist and Head, Mumbai, The Mpower Centre. “Often they don’t know what to call it, but they know something doesn’t feel okay.”

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. In the West Zone (including Mumbai), Mpower-supported interventions reached nearly 3.9 million beneficiaries driven significantly by large-scale community mental health outreach and service delivery models. Within reported age-wise data, uptake is notable among both 18–25-year-olds and adults aged 26–49, signalling demand across student and working-age populations. Importantly, adolescents (0–17 years) form the largest reported group seeking support—underscoring the need for early, prevention-led engagement formats that meet young people where they are.

This trend also reflects a shift in the nature of distress being reported. Stress is no longer ‘temporary’—it is increasingly becoming chronic. With stress now emerging as one of the leading reasons people reach out, mental health professionals point to a combination of triggers increasingly common in urban life: academic pressure, performance anxiety, job insecurity, long working hours, relationship strain, financial responsibilities, loneliness and constant social comparison.

The trends also reflect the overlap between emotional distress and coping behaviours, including:

• Substance use and behavioural addiction-related concerns (5.39%)
• Anxiety/panic/phobia-related symptoms (5.08%)

While suicidal ideas or attempts were reported at 1.55%, experts emphasise that even this figure is significant—reinforcing the importance of early intervention and stigma-free access to care. As the need grows, practitioners are also rethinking how mental health support is introduced—especially for those who hesitate to seek counselling due to stigma, fear of judgement, or discomfort with verbal expression.

Marking 10 years of providing quality and affordable mental health services, Mpower hosted a free Pet Therapy wellbeing workshop in Mumbai for citizens—as an optional, non-verbal entry point to mental health engagement. The session saw over 40 young participants and was designed as a calm, emotionally safe experience through choice-led interaction with certified therapy dogs, supporting grounding and emotional regulation without pressure to speak—particularly helpful for first-time help seekers, students, and individuals experiencing overwhelm or emotional shutdown.
“Sometimes the first step is not a conversation—it’s a feeling of safety,” said a facilitator from the session. “Pet therapy offers a gentle entry point. It helps people slow down, regulate, and feel connected, which can make it easier to seek further support when needed.”

Mpower has completed 10 years of mental health service delivery, with interventions reaching millions of individuals across India through clinical and community-based support. The organisation notes that as mental health needs evolve, expanding access will require both structured clinical pathways and low-barrier wellbeing formats that make help-seeking feel normal, safe and stigma-free.

About Mpower

Mpower, an initiative of Aditya Birla Education Trust is a pioneering social enterprise dedicated to transforming India approach to mental health. Founded 10 years ago, Mpower has emerged as a leading force in spreading awareness, reducing stigma, and delivering holistic mental health care. With a robust team of over 200 trained professionals, Mpower impacts more than 121 million lives across seven cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Delhi, Kota and Pune. Operating through five key verticals—Movement, Clinical Care, Outreach, Academia, and Mpower 1 on 1—Mpower offers a comprehensive range of services. The Movement focuses on changing cultural perceptions and alleviating stigma. Clinical Care provides world-class mental health services through the Centre, the Foundation, and the Cell, catering to various needs from holistic care to affordable support for the underprivileged. The Outreach vertical drives awareness and capacity-building through IGNITE  Programs for schools, colleges, NGOs, and corporates. Academia equips individuals and professionals with skills to handle mental health crises and foster empathy. The Helpline offers 24/7 multilingual support, while special projects like Samvedana enhance mental health care in primary health centers. Mpower’s integrated approach and collaboration with government agencies underscore its commitment to creating a supportive and stigma-free mental health landscape.