Suicide in India

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India's suicide rate per 100,000 people compared to other countries, according to the World Health Organization, Geneva. Peeter Värnik[1] claims China, Russia, United States, Japan, and South Korea are the biggest contributors to the absolute number of suicides in the world. Värnik claims India's adjusted annual suicide rate is 10.5 per 100,000, while the suicide rate for the world as a whole is 11.6 per 100,000.

About 800,000 people die by suicide worldwide every year.[2] 1,39,123 Indians died by suicide in 2019 and the national suicide rate was 10.4 (calculated per lakh of population).[3] According to The World Health Organization, in India, suicide is an emerging and serious public health issue.[4]

Suicide rates in India have been rising over the past 5 decades.[5] Suicides during 2019 increased by 3.4% in comparison to 2018 [6] India's contribution to global suicide deaths increased from 25·3% in 1990 to 36·6% in 2016 among women, and from 18·7% to 24·3% among men.[7] In 2016, suicide was the most common cause of death in both the age groups of 15–29 years and 15–39 years.[8] Between 1987 and 2007, the suicide rate increased from 7.9 to 10.3 per 100,000,[9] with higher suicide rates in southern and eastern states of India.[10]

In 2019, Maharashtra recorded highest number of deaths by suicide followed by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka.[11] These 5 states together accounted for almost half of the total suicides recorded in India in that year.

The male to female suicide ratio in 2019 was 70.2:29.8.[12]

Estimates for number of suicides in India vary. For example, a study published in The Lancet projected 187,000 suicides in India in 2010,[13] while official data by the Government of India claims 134,600 suicides in the same year.[14] Similarly, for 2019, while NCRB reported India's suicide rate to be 10.4; according to WHO data, the estimated age standardized suicide rate in India for the same year is 12.9. They've estimated it to be 11.1 for women and 14.7 for men.[15]

Definition[]

The Government of India classifies a death as suicide if it meets the following three criteria:[16]

  • it is an unnatural death,
  • the intent to die originated within the person,
  • there is a reason for the person to end his or her life. The reason may have been specified in a suicide note or unspecified.

If one of these criteria is not met, the death may be classified as death because of illness, murder or in another statistical.

Statistics[]

State-wise distribution in 2020
Factors contributing to suicide in India In 2019[17]
Contributing Factors Percentage (%)
Family problems
32.4
Illness
17.1
Drug Abuse/Alcohol Addiction
5.6
Marriage related issues
5.5
Love affairs
4.5
Bankruptcy or Indebtedness
4.2
Failure in examination
2.0
Unemployment
2.0
Professional/Career Problem
1.2
Property dispute
1.1
Death of dear person
0.9
Poverty
0.8
Suspected/Illicit Relation
0.5
Fall in social reputation
0.4
Impotency/Infertility
0.3
Other causes
11.1
Causes not known
10.3

Regional trends[]

Maharashtra reported the highest number of suicides at 18,916, followed by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. These 5 states collectively contributed to 49.5% of India's suicides in 2019. Nagaland reported only 41 suicides in the year. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have consistently accounted for about 8.0% (or more) suicides in India across 2017 to 2019. Among the Union Territories, Delhi reported the highest number of suicides followed by Puducherry. Lakshadweep reported zero suicides. Bihar and Punjab reported a significant increase in the percentage of suicides in 2019 over 2018.[18]

Age and suicide in India[]

In 2019, the age groups 18-30 and 30-45 years accounted for 35.1% and 31.8% suicides in India respectively. Combined, this age group of young adults accounted for 67% of total suicides. Thus, out of the total 1.39 lakh total suicides in India, 93,061 were young adults. This indicates that they are the most vulnerable age groups. Compared to 2018, youth suicide rates have risen by 4%.[19]

Literacy[]

In 2019, 12.6% victims of suicide were illiterate, 16.3% victims of suicide were educated upto primary level, 19.6% of the suicide victims were educated up to middle level and 23.3% of the suicide victims were educated up to matric level. Only 3.7% of total suicide victims were graduates and above.[16]

Suicide in cities[]

The number of deaths by suicide has seen an increasing trend from 2016 to 2019. In 2019, it increased by 4.6% compared to 2018. There were 22,390 suicides reported in the largest 53 mega cities of India in 2019. In the year 2019, Chennai reported the highest total number of suicides at 2,461, followed by Delhi City (2,423), Bengaluru (2,081) and Mumbai (1,229). These four cities together reported almost 36.6% of the total suicides reported from the 53 mega cities. The suicide rate in cities was higher (13.9) compared to the all-India suicide rate (10.4). Kollam and Asansol reported the highest suicide rates at 41.2 and 37.8 respectively. 'Family Problems (other than marriage related issues)' was the major contributing factors towards suicide in cities which accounted for 37.2% followed by ‘Illness’ (17.1%).[20]

Gender[]

In 2019, the male to female ratio of suicide victims was 70.2 : 29.8. The total number of male suicides was 97,613 and female suicides accounted for 41,493. A total of 17 transgenders died by suicide. The proportion of female victims were more in ‘Marriage Related Issues’ (specifically in ‘Dowry Related Issues’), and ‘Impotency/Infertility’. Among males, maximum suicides were by daily wage earners (29,092), followed by self-employed persons (14,319) and Unemployed Persons (11,599).[21]

Dynamics[]

Domestic violence[]

Further information: Domestic violence in India

Almost 40% of the world's total number of female suicides take place in India.[22] Domestic violence is found to be a major risk factor for suicide in a case study performed in Bangalore.[23] In another study carried out in 2017, domestic violence was found to be a risk factor for attempted suicides among married women [24] This is found to be reflected in the NCRB 2019 data, where the proportion of female victims were more in ‘Marriage Related Issues’ (specifically in ‘Dowry Related Issues’).[25]

Suicide motivated by politics[]

Suicides motivated by ideology doubled between 2006 and 2008.[10] Mental health experts say these deaths illustrate the increasing stress on young people in a nation where, elections notwithstanding, the masses often feel powerless. Sudhir Kakar was quoted to say, "The willingness to die for a cause, as exemplified by Gandhi’s epic fasts during the struggle for independence, is seen as noble and worthy. Ancient warriors in Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India, would die by suicide if their commander was killed." [26]

Mental illness[]

A large proportion of suicides occur in relation to psychiatric illnesses such as depression, substance use and psychosis.[27] The association between depression and death by suicide has been found to be higher among women. The National Mental Health Survey (NMHS), 2015-16 found that almost 80% of those suffering from mental illnesses did not receive treatment for more than a year.[28] The Indian government has been criticized by the media for its mental health care system, which is linked to the high suicide rate.[29][30]

Farmer's suicide in India[]

Main article: Farmers' suicides in India

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported that in 2019, 10,281 people involved in the farming sector died by suicide. 5,957 were farmers/cultivators and 4,324 were agricultural labourers. Out of the 5,957 farmers/cultivators suicides, a total of 5,563 were male and 394 were female. Together, they accounted for 7.4% of total suicides in India in 2019.[31]

Student suicides in India[]

According to 2015 data from the National Crime Records Bureau, 8,934 students are committing suicide every year. That's one student every hour. Despite being one of the most advanced states in India, Maharashtra has the highest number of student suicides with 1230 of the 8930 suicides occurring here (14%) and Tamil Nadu has the second highest with 955 of the 8934 suicides (10%).[32]

Every hour one student commits suicide in India, with about 28 such suicides reported every day, according to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The NCRB data shows that 10,159 students died by suicide in 2018, an increase from 9,905 in 2017, and 9,478 in 2016.[33]

Cram Schools[]

Many suicides are attributed to the intense pressure and harsh regimen of the students in cram schools (or coaching institutes).[34] These institutes offer coaching to high school students for various competitive exams, such as the JEE or NEET.[35][36]

Ragging[]

Ragging has been identified as a trigger for suicides.[37] Between 2012 and 2019, 54 ragging related suicide incidents have occured in the country.[38]

Suicide in the Indian Armed Forces[]

A total of 787 suicides have been reported in the Indian Armed Forces between 2014 and 2021. Of these, the Army reported 591 suicide cases, Navy reported 36, while the Indian Air Force reported 160 deaths by suicide.[39] More than half of the personnel in the Indian Army are under severe stress and many lives are being lost to suicides, fratricides and untoward incidents.[40]

Legislation[]

Main article: Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code

In India, suicide was illegal and the survivor would face jail term of up to one year and fine under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. However, the government of India decided to repeal the law in 2014.[41] In April 2017, the Indian parliament decriminalised suicide by passing the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017[42][43] and the act commenced in July 2018.

Suicide prevention[]

Approaches to preventing suicide suggested in a 2003 monograph include:

  1. Reducing social isolation
  2. Preventing social disintegration
  3. Treating mental disorders[44]
  4. Regulating the sale of pesticides & ropes[44]
  5. Promoting psychological motivational sessions and meditation and yoga.[44]

State-led policies are being enforced to decrease the high suicide rate among farmers of Karnataka.[45]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Värnik, Peeter (2012). "Suicide in the World". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 9 (3): 760–771. doi:10.3390/ijerph9030760. PMC 3367275. PMID 22690161.
  2. ^ Using the phrase ‘commit suicide’ is offensive to survivors and frightening to anyone contemplating taking his/her life. It’s not the same as ‘being committed’ to a relationship or any other use of it as a verb. Suicide prevention (SUPRE) World Health Organization (2012)
  3. ^ "Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India - 2019 | National Crime Records Bureau". ncrb.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  4. ^ "Suicide - India". www.who.int. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  5. ^ Swain, Prafulla Kumar; Tripathy, Manas Ranjan; Priyadarshini, Subhadra; Acharya, Subhendu Kumar (2021-07-29). "Forecasting suicide rates in India: An empirical exposition". PLOS ONE. 16 (7): e0255342. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0255342. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 8321128. PMID 34324554.
  6. ^ "Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India - 2019 | National Crime Records Bureau". ncrb.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  7. ^ Dandona, Rakhi; Kumar, G. Anil; Dhaliwal, R. S.; Naghavi, Mohsen; Vos, Theo; Shukla, D. K.; Vijayakumar, Lakshmi; Gururaj, G.; Thakur, J. S.; Ambekar, Atul; Sagar, Rajesh (2018-10-01). "Gender differentials and state variations in suicide deaths in India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2016". The Lancet Public Health. 3 (10): e478–e489. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30138-5. ISSN 2468-2667. PMC 6178873. PMID 30219340.
  8. ^ "Gender differentials and state variations in suicide deaths in India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2016". Lancet. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  9. ^ Vijaykumar L. (2007), Suicide and its prevention: The urgent need in India, Indian J Psychiatry;49:81–84,
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Polgreen, Lydia (March 30, 2010). "Suicides, Some for Separatist Cause, Jolt India". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India - 2019 | National Crime Records Bureau". ncrb.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  12. ^ "Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India - 2019 | National Crime Records Bureau". ncrb.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  13. ^ Patel, V.; Ramasundarahettige, C.; Vijayakumar, L.; Thakur, J. S.; Gajalakshmi, V.; Gururaj, G.; Suraweera, W.; Jha, P. (2012). "Suicide mortality in India: A nationally representative survey". The Lancet. 379 (9834): 2343–51. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60606-0. PMC 4247159. PMID 22726517.
  14. ^ Suicides in India Archived 2014-05-13 at the Wayback Machine The Registrar General of India, Government of India (2012)
  15. ^ "GHO | By category | Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized - Estimates by country". WHO. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2019" (PDF).
  17. ^ https://ncrb.gov.in/en/accidental-deaths-suicides-india-2019
  18. ^ "Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India - 2019 | National Crime Records Bureau". ncrb.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  19. ^ "Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India - 2019 | National Crime Records Bureau". ncrb.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  20. ^ "Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2019" (PDF).
  21. ^ "NCRB Chapter-2 Suicides in India" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  22. ^ "Nearly 40% of female suicides occur in India". The Guardian. 2018-09-13. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  23. ^ Gururaj, G; Isaac, M; Subhakrishna, DK; Ranjani, R (2004). "Risk factors for completed suicides: A case-control study from Bangalore, India". Inj Control Saf Promot. 11 (3): 183–91. doi:10.1080/156609704/233/289706. PMID 15764105. S2CID 29716380.
  24. ^ Indu, Pankajakshan Vijayanthi; Remadevi, Sivaraman; Vidhukumar, Karunakaran; Shah Navas, Peer Mohammed; Anilkumar, Thekkethayyil Viswanathan; Subha, Nanoo (2020-12-01). "Domestic Violence as a Risk Factor for Attempted Suicide in Married Women". Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 35 (23–24): 5753–5771. doi:10.1177/0886260517721896. ISSN 0886-2605.
  25. ^ "Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India - 2019 | National Crime Records Bureau". ncrb.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  26. ^ Polgreen, Lydia (2010-03-31). "Suicides, Some for Separatist Cause, Jolt India". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  27. ^ Brådvik, Louise (September 2018). "Suicide Risk and Mental Disorders". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 15 (9). doi:10.3390/ijerph15092028. ISSN 1661-7827. PMC 6165520. PMID 30227658.
  28. ^ India, Ideas For. "Understanding India's mental health crisis". Ideas For India. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  29. ^ "India's Mental Health Crisis". The New York Times. 2014-12-30.
  30. ^ Bray, Carrick (2016-11-04). "Mental Daily Slams India's Mental Health System — Calls It 'Crippling', 'Misogynistic'". The Huffington Post.
  31. ^ "Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India - 2019 | National Crime Records Bureau". ncrb.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  32. ^ "Every hour, one student commits suicide in India". Hindustan Times. 2017-04-08. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  33. ^ Garai, Shuvabrata (2020-01-29). "Student suicides rising, 28 lives lost every day". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  34. ^ "Why 57 Young Students Have Taken Their Lives In Kota". HuffPost India. 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  35. ^ "After 50 student suicides, Andhra and Telangana govts wake up to looming crisis". The News Minute. 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  36. ^ Iqbal, Mohammed (2018-12-29). "The dark side of Kota's dream chasers". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  37. ^ Deepika, K. c (2015-08-06). "Ragging leads to 15 suicides in 18 months". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  38. ^ "To stop ragging-related suicides, Modi govt to make 1-week induction mandatory in colleges". The Print.
  39. ^ "787 suicides reported in armed forces since 2014, most from Army, govt data shows". The Print.
  40. ^ "Over half of Army personnel under severe stress: study". The Hindu.
  41. ^ "Govt decides to repeal Section 309 from IPC; attempt to suicide no longer a crime". Zee News. December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  42. ^ "Mental health bill decriminalising suicide passed by Parliament". The Indian Express. 27 March 2017. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  43. ^ THE MENTAL HEALTHCARE ACT, 2017 (PDF). New Delhi: The Gazette of India. 7 April 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2017.
  44. ^ Jump up to: a b c Singh A.R., Singh S.A. (2003), Towards a suicide free society: identify suicide prevention as public health policy, Mens Sana Monographs, II:2, p3-16. [cited 2011 Mar 7]
  45. ^ Deshpande, R S (2002), Suicide by Farmers in Karnataka: Agrarian Distress and Possible Alleviatory Steps, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 37 No 25, pp2601-10

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