Alarmed at the rising number of suicide cases in the country, particularly among school and college students, the Government’s premier health research institute, Indian Council of Medical and Research (ICMR) has woken up to the need for a suicide prevention framework that is based on scientific interventions.
It has called upon the researchers from across the country to join the team being constituted for ICMR’s Multistate Implementation Research Study on Suicide Prevention Interventions. In India, the suicide rate has been on the rise with a reported rate of 12 per 100,000 of the population in 2021, reflecting a 6.2 per cent increase from the previous year.
“The goal is to reduce the burden due to suicidal behaviour and promote mental well-being, thereby improving the mental health outcomes in the country,†an official from the ICMR.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the crude suicide rate in the age-group 15-29 years (per 100,000 population for both sexes) for India has been recorded as 15.721, thus indicating that suicidal behaviour has become a significant public health concern, especially among the young age groups.
The Covid-19 pandemic induced factors such as stress, isolation, and economic difficulties have just worsened the mental health of this particular group, noted the official.
“Though there has been some progressive actions by the country in this regard such as launch of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy last year in November with an objective to reduce the suicide mortality by 10 per cent by 2030, Despite these alarming statistics, a suicide prevention framework that is based on scientific interventions is largely lacking in the country,†said the official.
According to the health experts, suicides are preventable, for every 40 seconds a person dies by suicide somewhere in the world and many more attempt suicide.
The inclusion of “Suicide Mortality Rate†as an indicator under the Sustainable Development Goal(SDG) monitoring framework (Indicator 3.4.2), demonstrates the global commitment to address this issue more effectively. Suicides occur throughout the lifespan, notably, among young people 15-29 years of age, suicide is the second leading cause of death globally.
Suicide prevention interventions among school and college students will be implemented through training teachers, counsellors, staff members, parents, peers etc who will identify signs of distress and respond appropriately, the official said.
Under coping strategies, students will be taught mechanisms to manage stress and build resilience while under health promotion initiatives, stress would be on healthy lifestyle such as, adequate physical activity, healthy diet, away from addictions (tobacco, alcohol, other psychotropic substances, internet), and mental health promotion.
Students at high risk will also be identified while focus will also be on enhancing social skills, fostering positive relationships and reducing isolation, the official added.
