According to the National Crime Records Agency (NCRB), 1,70,924 suicide deaths in India have increased from 2021 to 2021 (1,64,033 suicides). While the National Suicide Strategy (NSP) aims to reduce suicide mortality rates to 2030, experts say that achieving this will depend on strengthening data collection and addressing systemic gaps in the field of mental health care.
Systematic Analysis of Global Burden of Disease Research in 2021, “Global, Regional and National Burden of Suicide”, 1990-2021 published in 1990-2021 The Lancet This month showed that South Asian super-regions, including India, have always had the youngest average death age for suicide throughout the study period. NCRB figures show that 35% of suicide deaths in the country are in the age group between 15 and 29 years old.
Suicide data in India are collected primarily by the NCRB, which belongs to the Ministry of Home Affairs. These data focus on suicide deaths and ignore suicide attempts and potential social and mental health factors that lead to these attempts by victims. As Ramdas Ransing, associate professor of psychiatry at Guwahati AIIMS, noted: “The intervention will always be incomplete without capturing suicide attempts, mental health contexts and social triggers.”
There is no centralized suicide surveillance system
The union government is aware of some of these gaps: NSP highlights the lack of centralized suicide surveillance systems and points to this as a major obstacle to prevention strategies. There is currently no comprehensive method to collect data from hospitals, police and educational institutions. Inadequate reports further complicate the situation. Families may avoid reporting suicide attempts due to stigma, resulting in most unrecorded cases. “Administrative challenges also undermine data collection. The country’s limited number of mental health professionals, under-training and funding restrictions prevented the establishment of a strong tracking system,” Dr. Ransing said.
Ram Pratap Beniwal, professor of psychiatry at RML Hospital in New Delhi, said that despite years of increased awareness, the country’s mental health services are still not meeting the required mental health services, and Still unavailable in rural areas. “Despite the increase in postgraduate seats in psychiatry, mental health services have not kept up with demand, especially in rural areas,” he said. He also highlighted the ongoing stigma that prevented people from seeking help.
Dr. Benival also said that convicting people who survive suicide attempts remains a serious obstacle to providing mental health interventions. Decriminalization of suicide is for creating a compassionate, supportive environment that encourages survivors to receive care without fear of legal implications. Although suicide cases are assumed to be under severe stress and impunity under Article 115 of the Mental Health Care Act 2018, suicide itself remains a criminal offence under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which replaces Indian Penal Code.
Dr. Beniwal also stressed the need for targeted interventions targeting vulnerable groups such as students, farmers and people suffering from drug abuse. “This includes coaching institutions that regulate competitive exams such as NEET and JEE, because the extreme pressure these students face often leads to mental health struggles,” Dr. Bennival said.
Establish a better suicide surveillance system
Nilesh Devaraj, associate professor of forensic medicine and toxicology at AIIMS GUWAHATI, is studying the lowest data set for the National Suicide Registration, a program designed to record relevant data on national suicide strategies, which are suicide surveillance. “It’s like finding the root of it all,” he said. “There is no clear understanding of the data, whether it’s medical interventions, media strategies or a pathway to limit the mean – the risk of losing a trademark. “So, with the support of the Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR) and the state government, he and other experts have called for a multi-state research program to develop an updated suicide registry.
In response, the pilot phase project was launched by AIIMS, Guwahati in collaboration with the National Mental Health Plan (NMHP), Assam and Assam Ministry of Education, focusing on improving students’ mental health and reducing suicide risk. This aims to strengthen mental health infrastructure, train teachers and staff to identify distress signals, and provide workshops for self-help and peer-supported students.
These initiatives also call for the integration of data from the Regional Mental Health Program (DMHP) and NMHP. The goal is to collect real-time data by involving healthcare workers, law enforcement and educators. This not only records suicide deaths, but also tracks attempts, identify high-risk behaviors and monitors patterns. “We should identify warning signs, track suicide attempts and map high-risk areas,” Dr. Ransing explained.
Multi-departmental approach
Experts also stressed that suicide prevention requires cooperation outside the health sector. The success of surveillance efforts depends on collaboration between the healthcare, law enforcement, education and pharmaceutical industries. “Suicide is also a social problem. We should be involved in the pharmaceutical team, legal experts and other stakeholders. Without collective action, change will be limited.” He also acknowledged the importance of Tele Manas Initiative, a Tele Manas Initiative, a A telephone-free mental health hotline can provide immediate psychological support.
However, Dr. Benivar noted that despite some progress, “by the 2030 target, we have not reached a 10% suicide mortality rate. Without a dedicated national suicide control program and crisis intervention, the target remains far away.”
publishing – February 25, 2025, 4:55 pm IST
