MUMBAI, India, Sept. 4, 2025 -- A recent national study across nine Indian states covering more than 8,500 college students found that nearly one in three* reported symptoms of depression. Responding to this urgent need, Fitterfly, India's leading digital health company, has launched 'Fitterfly Uplift' — a personalized mental wellness program for students and other communities.
For lakhs of young people entering college each year, the transition often brings more than academic challenges - long study hours, competition, and hostel life are fuelling rising cases of stress, anxiety, and loneliness. Worryingly, many students turn to smoking, alcohol, or substance use to cope. In extreme cases, stress can push them towards self-harm or suicidal thoughts.
This crisis is not confined just to campuses. Fitterfly's own data shows that nearly 65% of members managing diabetes on its platform report stress as a major factor affecting their health. With years of experience in linking mental well-being to physical health outcomes, Fitterfly has built 'Fitterfly Uplift' to offer structured, personalised care that goes beyond short counselling calls.
Unlike most services that provide brief phone sessions with rotating therapists, Fitterfly Uplift pairs each participant with a dedicated clinical psychologist for structured, one-hour live sessions. The program also integrates with on-ground college teams, psychiatrists, and hospitals to ensure high-risk cases are flagged and supported quickly.
The first rollout began at IIT Kharagpur, where Neha Verma, Head of Psychology & Wellbeing at Fitterfly, and her team consisting of senior psychologists Nishul Gupta and Vinika Rawat, conducted a three-day workshop to help students experience structured therapy in a safe space. The response was overwhelming - over 650 students registered within 48 hours.
"We felt the need for our students to have direct access to trained mental health professionals, without barriers or delays, Fitterfly Uplift meets that need effectively. We look forward to seeing its impact and encouraging more students to seek support when needed." said Prof. Koel Chowdhary, Associate Dean, Student Affairs, IIT Kharagpur.
"IIT Kharagpur is just the start. We are seeing strong interest from other campuses and employee wellness teams across India that recognise the need for structured programs which are easy to roll out and deliver measurable outcomes," said Dr Arbinder Singal, Co-founder & CEO, Fitterfly. "With Fitterfly Uplift, our vision is to make professional mental health support accessible, consistent, and stigma-free — wherever it's needed." Dr Singal added.
With the success at IIT Kharagpur, Fitterfly Uplift is preparing to expand to other campuses, workplaces, and community setups. Designed to adapt through workshops, consultations, staff training, and SOPs for high-risk cases, it offers organisations a ready framework to strengthen mental well-being.
For organisations, schools, colleges, workplaces, or communities interested in a customised version of the program, write to neha.verma@fitterfly.in.
About Fitterfly
Fitterfly is a leading Indian healthtech company specialising in digital therapeutic programs for managing diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Co-founded in 2020 by Dr Arbinder Singal and Shailesh Gupta, the Mumbai-based company employs doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, fitness experts, and technologists. Fitterfly aims to improve metabolic health by focusing on conditions like prediabetes, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and heart disease. Fitterfly has significantly contributed to health technology research, publishing over 80 papers and winning numerous awards, including the Economic Times Healthtech Startup of the Year 2022.
*https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39564264/
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