On October 17 and 18, the NIMHANS Convention Centre in Bengaluru hosted Mental Health Santhe 4.0, an event focused on suicide prevention, digital wellness, and community-based support. The gathering brought together hundreds of participants, including families, students, health professionals, and members of various NGOs. The Santhe aligned with World Mental Health Day’s international campaign, which...
In a watershed moment for Indian education, the Supreme Court has issued a sweeping set of 15 guidelines for all educational institutions—schools, colleges, coaching centers, hostels, and universities—in response to a deeply troubling surge in student suicides nationwide. Over 13,044 student suicides are reported annually in India, and roughly one student is lost approximately every...
The rate of student suicides in India has reached a disturbing new high, with the number of cases increasing at a rate far outstripping both the national population growth and overall suicide trends, according to a recent report. The report, titled "Student Suicides: An Epidemic Sweeping India," was unveiled at the Annual IC3 Conference and...
Today, September 10, is World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD). A day that brings together individuals and organizations worldwide to raise awareness about suicide, its prevention, and the importance of mental health support. Established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), WSPD seeks to reduce...
Suicide is a complex and deeply troubling issue that affects individuals and communities worldwide. In India, the discussion around suicide has gained increasing attention, especially as societal pressures, mental health challenges, and other factors contribute to rising suicide rates, particularly among students and young adults. Literature, with its power to explore the intricacies of human...
You shouldn't be losing lives to suicide. Yet, we do. All the time. Every 40 seconds globally. And in India, the suicide rate has reached alarming proportions. Closeted by stigma and lack of awareness, mental health is often not given priority. Those who suffer, suffer in pain, often alone, and reach out for that darkness...
Every year, more than 700,000 lives are lost to suicide—a staggering number that overshadows many other causes of death globally. Suicide has a devastating impact, not just on them, but on their families, communities, and countries. It is the fourth leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years. These figures demand action to...
Breakups. Divorce. Separation. Time. We have all lost someone to one of these. Relationships that didn't work out. Friends who got lost in the mist of time. But nothing comes close to the pain of losing someone to death. And when it's your child, the pain is infinitely more. Shilpa Kulkarni is one of those...
Suicide is a social, systemic, economic, and political tragedy at a national and global scale. According to the 2021 studies by the Mariwala Health Institute (MHI), nearly 140,000 people die every year because of suicide in India, which accounts for 17% of deaths through suicide globally. WHO states that about 700,000 people die by suicide...
This short story is written as part of the MyndStories campaign for World Suicide Prevention Day 2023. This is a fictional story. Please note that this content may be distressing for some. I saw her first. It was just like any other evening. The lad with the groundnuts. That old man with the guavas. Walkers...
The noise of daily life can drown out the whispers of pain. This is why there is a crucial need for open conversations about mental health. In about 19 days, we have World Suicide Prevention Day. On September 10. Unlike World Mental Health Day that corporates embrace with fervor, this day passes by almost unnoticed....
Celebrities and glamorous lifestyles go together. With a huge social media following, millions in endorsements, fancy cars, and homes, celebrities project a life that at once seems aspirational and impossible. But while celebs may project a lifestyle that seems out-of-reach, they are often at their most powerful when they are deeply vulnerable, showcasing their struggles...
The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) has launched SURveillance system to trAcK suicide and Self-HArm (SURAKSHA), a community-based suicide prevention initiative. Launched in partnership with the government of Karnataka and funded by the Himalaya Wellness Company, India, the pilot program will be implemented in Channapatna, Mangalore, Haveri, and Bellary taluks, and...
I still remember meeting him near a tattered tea stall in Kolkata. Young, shy-ish. The skin-folds falling on the denim edge near the hips, the mildly inflated cheeks, the rough curly hair, and the pretty-for-a-boy-coy smile instantly advertised him as the mama’s little squishy bub-bub. We spoke. Movies, books, black t-shirts, 3 more cups of...
On Monday, November 21st, India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare revealed the first-ever National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS), a policy aimed at preventing suicides. According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India registered 1.64 lakh suicides in 2021, the highest in a calendar year. The goal of NSPS is to achieve...
Today, October 19, is Priya Balagopal’s birthday. She would have been 31 today. In Part 1 of a poignant interview, Geetha Balagopal spoke about the pain of losing Priya to suicide. But she also spoke about how Priya’s life was a celebration, a life of courage and resilience, despite a very real illness. In this...
The Himalaya Wellness Company has partnered with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) to launch a community-focused suicide prevention program named ‘Project Suraksha’. The pilot program, which is in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ‘LIVE LIFE’ implementation guide for suicide prevention, aims to prevent suicides and improve access to mental...
Some connections are serendipitous. Beautiful synchronicities orchestrated by a compassionate Universe. In September, a client sent me a DM, "Here, this might help you." That client doesn't send me DMs often. We speak more on WhatsApp, and mostly about work. We most definitely don't share links to content. Yet, this time, the client did. He...
More than one lakh people in India die by suicide every year, according to the 2021 Accidental Deaths & Suicides report from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In 2021, the number was 1.64 lakh, a 7.2% increase from 2020. The number of suicides per 1 lakh of the population stood at 12, the highest...
