The discussion around mental illness is quite new among the masses of the country. However, an actor's suicide and the coronavirus pandemic has forced the mental health discourse into daily lives of people.
While there is a lot that needs to be understood about mental illness, Indians, particularly the middle class, are finally waking up to the concept of mental health.
According to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau, 139,123 people died by suicide in 2019.
What raises an alarm is that there is an increase of 3.4 per cent in the number of people who died by suicide between 2018 and 2019.
In 2019, one in every three of the 1,40,000 people who died of suicide in 2019 took the step due to family problems. Illness and substance abuse were the other major known causes of suicide, together accounting for 23 per cent, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
Bankruptcy or indebtedness, unemployment and poverty led to at least 11,500 suicides, about 8.2 per cent of all such fatalities.
Unemployment comprise 2 per cent of the total suicides. Suicides among daily wage earners was higher — about 32,500.?
Farmers comprise 7.4 per cent of all people who died due to suicide in India.?
Mental illness is emerging as one of the major reasons driving suicides in the country, however, it still finds no mention in the NCRB data.?
The World Health Organisation has dubbed India as the most depressed country in the world, ahead of China and the US.
Depression and bad mental health have been ignored as a serious issue since ages.???
A 2018 study reported in WHO, conducted for the NCMH (National Care Of Medical Health), states that at least 6.5 per cent of the Indian population suffers from some form of the serious mental disorder, with no discernible rural-urban differences.?
According to a WHO report published in 2019, India has much higher suicide rate than global estimates with 17.8 suicides per 1,00,000 people in 2016 over 10.5 global suicide rate.
India's NCRB data still does not focus on the rising causes of mental illness and eventual suicides which only reflects the negligence towards mental illness in the country.
If you know anyone battling with depression or other mental health issues, please reach out to someone who can help. AASRA Foundation: 022 2754 6669 Samaritans Mumbai: +91 84229 84528 / +91 84229 84529 / +91 84229 84530 Sanjivini Society for Mental Health: +911124311918?