Over 170,000 suicides in India: Why experts say mental health isn't enough

Experts highlight poverty, debt, domestic violence, addiction, and social isolation as key contributors to suicide in India, urging policymakers to include them into their prevention strategies

Over 170,000 lives are lost to suicide each year in India, prompting experts to call for a broader approach to prevention that extends beyond mental health. In a study published in The Lancet on World Suicide Prevention Day, observed on September 10, experts emphasised the need to address social risk factors to curb the rising suicide rates.

Globally, suicide claims more than 700,000 lives each year, with India recording one of the highest suicide tolls. In 2022 alone, 171,000 people died by suicide in India, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), with the suicide rate hitting 12.4 per 100,000 people – the highest ever recorded in the country.

This year’s World Suicide Prevention Day theme, ‘Changing the narrative on suicide’, calls for reframing how suicide is understood and tackled. A new six-paper series in The Lancet Public Health echoes this sentiment, emphasising the need to shift from viewing suicide as solely a mental health issue to recognising the significant role of social factors.

“Suicide so far, unfortunately, has been stigmatised as a crime, but suicide is a complex public health issue. Focus to date has been on mental health for suicide prevention, which is important, but we have enough data now to show that we need to broaden our focus beyond mental health for suicide prevention,” Series author Rakhi Dandona, professor of Public Health at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), told news agency IANS.

The series also highlights that while clinical treatment services are crucial for those in crisis, national suicide prevention strategies must also address underlying social factors to prevent people from reaching these breaking points. 

Experts point to issues such as poverty, debt, domestic violence, addiction, and social isolation as key drivers of suicide in India, urging policymakers to integrate these into their preventive efforts.
 

India’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy, released in 2022, highlights the necessity of adopting a more comprehensive approach. However, experts argue that more focus is needed on addressing socio-economic risks alongside mental health interventions. Dandona emphasised the need to “widen the way suicide is viewed” to include these social determinants.

Youth suicide: An urgent national concern
 

Youth suicide is particularly alarming, with over 40 per cent of suicides occurring among individuals under 30. On average, a young Indian takes their life every eight minutes, an irreplaceable loss to families, society, and the nation.
 

The study reveals that unemployment is also a significant risk for suicide in India, particularly among females. The suicide rate among unemployed women stands at 94.8 per 100,000 people, much higher than for those with stable employment.

Need for a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention
 

Dandona stressed that India’s current suicide prevention efforts, which fall under the National Mental Health Programme, must expand to a ‘whole-government public health approach’. By addressing the socio-economic pressures driving suicide, the country can work towards creating a more supportive environment that prevents individuals from reaching a crisis.
 

“Addressing the underlying socio-economic pressures in addition to mental health is a critical national priority. By taking a public health approach and fostering collaboration among various sectors, we can create a more supportive environment that prioritises early intervention, reduces stigma, and ultimately saves lives,” she said.