Mpowering Minds 2026 Summit Highlights Women's Mental Health

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 5 March 2026

• The second edition of the Mpowering Minds Women’s Mental Health Summit 2026 took place in Bengaluru
• It discussed structural and social determinants that impact women’s mental health in the country

The Mpowering Minds Women’s Mental Health Summit 2026, the second such summit of this nature in India, was opened by Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Education Trust and the Mpower Foundation, bringing together policymakers, clinicians, researchers, activists, and representatives from various sectors to discuss the wide-ranging and varied factors that affect women’s mental health across India.

In her remarks to all delegates, Neerja Birla noted that institutional collaboration among government entities, institutions, and community organisations is crucial in addressing mental health challenges due to the multiple and diverse contributors to mental health challenges.

Additionally, Invited speakers Lakshmi R. Hebbalkar (Minister for the Development of Women and Children, Minister for the Empowerment of People with Disabilities and Minister for the Elderly) and Dr. Prathima Murthy, Senior Professor and Director of NIMHANS, discussed a number of the various challenges women face concerning their mental health and emphasised the importance of cooperation among the three sectors in addressing mental health.

In her keynote, Lakshmi R. Hebbalkar emphasised how mental health is a "fundamental issue" that affects all women, regardless of whether they are daughters or mothers, whether they work in a professional capacity or as caregivers, etc.

Included at the summit were discussions about the issue of mental health throughout life. Dr Shyam Bhat discussed rising rates of self-harm and Suicide in young females and how they are linked to increased social expectations.

Throughout the summit, the main theme was that women's mental wellness is impacted by not just individual issues like relationships or employment status but also by social factors such as community support, user-friendly services, and financial stability.

Primary findings from the summit were that moving forward on institutional reform and including mental health into public and private systems is two of the ways to support women during their life cycle. Additional emphasis on improving women's mental health is vital to the family unit, business success, the creation of a harmonious society, and ultimately an improved economy. Because of these factors, women's mental health should be viewed as a national priority as opposed to a second-class issue.