NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION STRATEGY

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The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced a National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
The main objective is to provide time-bound action plans and multi-sectoral collaborations to achieve a reduction in suicide mortality by 10% by 2030.

Details

The strategy is in line with the WHO’s South East-Asia Region Strategy for suicide prevention.
Key points of the strategy;
- Establish an effective surveillance mechanism for suicide prevention within the next 3 years.
- Establish psychiatric outpatient departments in all districts within the next 5 years to provide suicide prevention services through the District Mental Health Programme.
- Integrate a mental well-being curriculum in all educational institutions within the next 8 years
- Develop guidelines for responsible media reporting of suicides, and restricting access to means of suicide.
- Developing community resilience and societal support for suicide prevention.

Way Forward

In India, more than one lakh lives are lost every year to suicide, and it is the top killer in the 15-29 years category.
- In the past three years, the suicide rate has increased from 10.2 to 11.3 per 1, 00,000 population.
- The most common reasons for suicide include family problems and illnesses, which account for 34% and 18% of all suicide-related deaths.
Suicides impact all sections of society and thus require concerted and collaborative efforts from individuals and the community at large.