A recent study published in The Lancet Public Health said that India has seen more than a 30 per cent drop in suicide death rate from 1990 to 2021. This highlights the country's progress in India's strategies for mental health awareness. The analysis is based on the results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021.
The results reveal that the suicide death rate in India was 18.9 per lakh population in 1990, 13·1 lakh per lakh population in 2019 and 13 per lakh population in 2021.
The suicide death rate in India declined by 31.5 per cent from 1990 to 2021. The results of the analysis also found that the reduction in death rates by suicide was seen more in females than males. The suicide death rate among females stood at 16.8 per lakh population in 1990 and this reduced to 10.3 per lakh population in 2021.
On the other hand, the suicide death rate among men in 1990 stood at 20.9 per lakh population, and it reduced to 15.7 per lakh population by 2021.
Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, US said, "In 2020, in India, the highest suicide death rates were among educated women, with family problems being the most commonly cited contributing factor."
In the last three decades, the global age-standardised mortality rate for suicide has declined by nearly 40 per cent from about 15 deaths per lakh population to 9 deaths per lakh population. This highlights that the intervention and prevention strategies are working.
Dr. Mohsen Naghavi from IHME and senior author said, "While the progress made in declining suicide rates is encouraging, it is clear that suicide continues to impact some countries and populations more than others. Removing suicide stigma and barriers to access mental health support systems remain critical measures, particularly among people with mental and substance abuse disorders."
(IANS inputs)
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