Changing the narrative on suicide

Every September 10, the world pauses to observe World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD). It is a solemn reminder that behind every suicide statistic lies a story of pain, silence, and preventable loss. Since 2003, when the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), launched this global initiative, the message has been constant: suicide is preventable.

Yet the numbers remain staggering. Globally, more than 727,000 people die by suicide each year. Millions more attempt it, leaving families, communities, and nations asking the same anguished question: what more could we have done? The 2024–2026 theme for WSPD—“Changing the Narrative on Suicide”—calls on us to move beyond stigma, myths, and silence. It urges compassion, dialogue, and shared responsibility. Nowhere is this shift more urgent than in India, where suicide rates are rising at an alarming pace.

India reported 170,924 suicides in 2022, the highest ever recorded by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). This translates into a rate of 12.4 per 100,000 population, up from 9.9 in 2017. The trend is deeply troubling, pointing to systemic stressors that go beyond individual struggles. The crisis is uneven across the country. In 2022, Bihar reported the lowest suicide rate at just 0.6 per 100,000, while Sikkim stood at 43.1 per 100,000—the highest in the nation. Southern cities such as Vijayawada (42.6) and Kollam (42.5) reported rates comparable to the worst-affected
states. Among young people, the situation is dire. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the 15–29 age group, both globally and in India. For a country with the world’s largest youth population, this is not only a health crisis but a development emergency.

Student suicides have emerged as a particularly devastating dimension of this crisis. NCRB data shows that 13,044 students died by suicide in 2022, accounting for nearly 8% of all suicides that year. On September 10, 2025, the Delhi High Court expressed grave concern over this rise, calling for a “robust, efficient and effective” anti-ragging helpline as an “immediate necessity.” The case, filed by the Aman Satya Kachroo Trust, challenged the functioning of the National Ragging Prevention Programme. The Trust argued that the system—originally designed with a 24x7 helpline, monitoring committees across 50,000 colleges, and compliance mechanisms—had weakened in recent years. The Court noted reports of dysfunction in the helpline and monitoring system, even as suicides occurred during the case’s pendency, including at IIT Kharagpur. Data presented to the bench highlighted the scale of the problem: 98 suicides in central higher education institutions between 2019 and 2023, including 11 in IITs in a single year. In medical colleges, 122 suicides and over 1,100 dropouts were recorded between 2018 and 2023. The Court’s intervention underscores an uncomfortable truth: without functioning safeguards in schools and universities, many young Indians remain dangerously vulnerable.

Behind these statistics lie multiple social, cultural, and economic realities. Students face crushing expectations from families and society. Competitive exams and the stigma of failure turn setbacks into unbearable burdens. Despite regulations, ragging and harassment persist, sometimes with fatal consequences. Farmers battling debt and crop failures remain at high risk. Migration, shrinking families, and long work hours often leave people feeling alone. Women balancing unpaid care with precarious jobs face heightened vulnerability. Online bullying, screen addiction, and constant comparison worsen mental health struggles. While each of these factors is complex, together they form a picture of a society where too many people feel unseen, unsupported, and overwhelmed.

Until recently, suicide prevention in India was piecemeal. That began to change in 2022 with the launch of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS), which aims to reduce suicide mortality by 10% by 2030. Several initiatives are now in place. Tele-MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) is a 24/7 helpline with 53 centres across 36 states and union territories, which has handled over 2 million calls as of 2025. The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) covers 767 districts, expanding crisis care and outreach at the community level.

Mental health services are now part of 1.75 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, bringing care into primary health facilities. Youth initiatives such as the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), the School Health & Wellness Programme, and Manodarpan are embedding mental health literacy in education. These measures mark an important shift—acknowledging that suicide is not just a medical issue but a social one, requiring schools, communities, and workplaces to be part of the solution.

The hardest part of suicide prevention is not policy—it is conversation. Families often avoid the topic out of shame. Media reports sometimes sensationalise, focusing on the method rather than context or solutions. Survivors face stigma, while those at risk remain invisible. Changing the narrative means promoting responsible media coverage that informs without glamorising, encouraging open dialogue in families and schools, training people to recognise warning signs like withdrawal and hopelessness, and fostering community empathy so that those who struggle feel seen rather than judged.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s 2024 campaign, which placed hopeful messages across stations, is a simple but powerful example of how visibility and compassion can break silence.

Helplines and laws cannot work in isolation. Society must embrace suicide prevention as a shared responsibility. Helplines like Tele-MANAS must be staffed with trained counsellors, particularly in rural areas. Every school should have a functional counselling system, with anti-ragging committees that actually work. Employers must invest in mental health audits, counselling, and fairer workload practices. India has partially decriminalised attempted suicide under Section 115 of the Mental Healthcare Act (2017), but the spirit of this law must be fully implemented so thatthose who attempt suicide receive care, not punishment.

Prevention is not only about stopping death—it is about nurturing life. The real measure of progress will come when every Indian knows that reaching out for help is a sign of strength. The Delhi High Court’s demand for an effective anti-ragging helpline is a timely reminder: systems must work, and institutions must be held accountable. Suicide prevention requires communities that listen, families that support, and a culture that values empathy over judgment.