Suicide Rates in India

 - By Shivani Sangwan

“Suicide is a form of murder - premeditated murder. It isn't something you do the first time you think of doing it. It takes getting used to. And you need the means, the opportunity, the motive. A successful suicide demands good organization and a cool head, both of which are usually incompatible with the suicidal state of mind.”

― Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted

What the numbers say:

When a first information report is made, the local police agency gathers information regarding suicides in India. Even after the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017, which decriminalized suicide attempts, was passed, the practise has persisted. The National Crime Records Bureau receives this and sends data to Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) for publication in its annual reports.

The frequency of suicide fatalities in India has climbed slightly in some years while declining in other years, according to a review of ADSI records from 2000 to 2021. This has mainly followed the country's rate of population growth. This explains why the nation's suicide rate has fluctuated between 10 and 11.5 per 100,000 people since 2000.

But during the pandemic, there has been an increase in suicides. Compared to 1.39 lakh in 2019, the NCRB recorded 1.5 lakh suicide fatalities in 2020. Additionally, there was a 7.1% rise between 2020 and 2021. According to the NCRB, 1.64 lakh individuals committed suicide in 2021.

In 2020, the suicide rate increased to 11.3, and in 2021, it reached a record high of 12. India, as of 2019, has the world's 41st-highest suicide rate, according to WHO estimates. With a suicide rate of 21.6, Russia is ranked 11th, compared to 14.5 in the US. According to WHO estimations, some nations do well, such as Barbados (suicide rate of 0.3), Jordan (suicide rate of 2), and Syria (suicide rate of 2.1). A comparable lower suicide rate of six fatalities per lakh persons is also found in China.

This is supported by a research titled "What has happened to suicides during the Greek economic crisis?" that was published in the National Library of Medicine of the US government. According to the report, "the mean suicide rate overall increased by 35% between 2010 and 2012, from 3.37 to 4.56/100,000 population." Pathcare also noted a similar upsurge in suicide cases in India at the start of the 1990s, which was caused by the financial crisis.

Causes of Suicides in India:

Mental Illness

India accounts for about 40% of all female suicides worldwide. In a study conducted in Bangalore, it was discovered that domestic abuse was a significant risk factor for suicide. Another 2017 study indicated that domestic violence increased the probability of attempted suicides among married women. The NCRB 2019 data shows that more female victims were involved in "marriage-related issues" (more particularly, "dowry-related issues") than male victims.

Domestic Violence

Suicides frequently involve psychiatric conditions such depression, substance abuse, and psychosis. It has been discovered that women are more likely than men to experience a suicide death as a result of depression. Nearly 80% of people with mental diseases did not receive treatment for more than a year, according to the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015–16. The media has condemned the Indian government's mental health treatment system, which is associated with the country's high suicide rate.

According to NCRB data, there were 13,089 student suicide deaths in 2021, up from 12,526 in 2020. Of these, 56.51% were men and 43.49% were women. With 1,834 reported deaths, Maharashtra had the greatest rate of student suicides, followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,308) and Tamil Nadu (1,246).

Student Suicides in India

In India, at least one student kills herself every hour. The number of suicide deaths in the year 2019 (10,335) was the highest in the previous 25 years. More than 1.7 lakh Indian students committed suicide between 1995 and 2019. Maharashtra had the highest rate of student suicides in India, despite being one of the most developed states. 44% of all student suicides in 2019 were committed in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh.

According to information gathered by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), one student commits suicide in India every hour, with roughly 28 such suicides being reported each day. The state with the most student suicides in 2018 was Maharashtra (1,448), followed by Tamil Nadu (953), and Madhya Pradesh (862). According to NCRB data, 10,159 students killed themselves in 2018, up from 9,905 in 2017 and 9,478 in 2016.

According to a Lancet report, India has some of the highest suicide death rates in the world, and many adult suicide fatalities happen between the ages of 15 and 29.

Farmer's Suicide in India

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 10,281 persons who worked in agriculture committed suicide in 2019. 4,324 agricultural Labourers and 5,957 farmers and cultivators respectively. A total of 5,563 men and 394 women committed suicide among the 5,957 farmers and cultivators. They made up 7.4% of all suicides in India in 2019 together.

Preventive Measures in regards with increasing suicide cases:

The goal of suicide prevention is to lower the risk of suicide. Suicide is frequently avoidable, and efforts to do so can be made at the individual, interpersonal, social, and societal levels. Suicide is a significant issue in public health that can have a lasting impact on people, families, and communities. Strategies at all societal levels are necessary to prevent suicide. This covers preventative measures and safeguards for people, families, and communities. By becoming aware of the warning signals, encouraging prevention and resilience, and committed to social change, suicide can be avoided. 

Beyond direct interventions to stop an impending suicide, methods may include:

• treating mental illness
• improving coping strategies of people who are at risk
• reducing risk factors for suicide, such as poverty and social vulnerability
• giving people hope for a better life after current problems are resolved
• calling a suicide hotline number

Measures in the areas of medicine, mental health, and public health are included in general efforts. Suicide is not just a medical or mental-health problem because environmental risk factors like availability to fatal methods and protective variables such social involvement and support also play a part in the act.