India’s first patented emotional wellness screening tool to transform global mental health

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Dr Sandeep Vohra, a globally respected psychiatrist and pioneer in digital mental health, has unveiled India’s first patented emotional wellness screening tool the Emotional Wellness Index (EWI).

Developed over a decade of research in collaboration with Houston University, USA, the EWI is a 55-point digital screening scale designed to assess stress and emotional well-being in students and adults accurately. Patent-protected in India, this innovation positions India at the forefront of global emotional wellness solutions.

Recent data indicate that over 35% of Indian college students experience high stress or anxiety, highlighting the urgent need for proactive mental health interventions. The EWI enables mass screening on an unprecedented scale through digital platforms, facilitates the early identification of emotional distress, and promotes timely intervention, all while being cost-effective, confidential, and stigma-free. It also provides data-driven insights that help shape mental health policies, wellness programmes, and personalized care strategies.

International Universities like the University of California, San Diego, have successfully integrated emotional wellness screening with structured counselling programs to support at-risk students. In India, Dr Vohra and his team have partnered with Manav Rachna University to implement a similar model, beginning with comprehensive emotional well-being screening followed by ongoing support from on-campus counsellors.

The role of EWI at platforms is also being used across 20 colleges of Pune University in partnership with Apollo Telemedicine to provide mental health access to college students, demonstrating the power of combining technology with counselling to reach large populations.