08 June,2026 10:21 AM IST | Mumbai | Dr Harish Shetty
Representation pic/istock
Indian families are suffering from a huge mental health crisis. The evidence is there in the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2024 report. Family problems accounted for 33.5 per cent of all suicides in India in 2024, up from 31.9 per cent in 2023. Among those below 18 years of age who died by suicide, family problems emerged as the leading cause.
The crisis is also reflected in other disturbing statistics. Housewives accounted for 48.9 per cent of all female suicide deaths (22,113 of 45,245). Daily wage earners made up 31 per cent of all suicide victims, an increase from 27.5 per cent in 2023. As many as 83.8 per cent of those who died by suicide belonged to the category ranging from no formal education to Class 12 education. Another 17 per cent of victims were recorded under the category of "illness", which may include both physical and mental health conditions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has long maintained that officially reported causes of suicide in India may be methodologically inadequate because they are recorded by the police. In many cases, the immediate trigger is reported by close family members, while deeper psychological and social factors remain unexplored. Psychological autopsies are rarely conducted, and mental health professionals are seldom involved in the process.
As a result, what is officially classified as a "family problem" may actually be a complex mix of marital conflict, financial distress, loneliness, long working hours, violence, poverty, low educational status, untreated depression, and other underlying factors.
The term "family problems" therefore needs to be viewed more carefully. Families do not exist in isolation from larger social and economic realities. Multiple factors often interact and reinforce one another before a person reaches a breaking point.
Poverty remains one of the most powerful triggers of self-harm. Alienation and loneliness brought about by globalisation and the rapid pace of life, combined with low levels of education and poor socioeconomic conditions, create a dangerous cocktail.
Emergency and casualty departments in hospitals regularly witness the human cost of this distress. Most of those who die by suicide are poor. Yet public discussion and media attention often focus only on cases involving people of news value. The poor largely go unnoticed.
There has been little meaningful analysis of the large number of daily wage workers who continue to perish under the burden of emotional and economic distress.
The World Bank estimates that 171 million people were lifted out of poverty in India between 2011 and 2023. Yet this progress is not adequately reflected in the NCRB suicide data.
The free doles given by the government as welfare measures may have improved economic conditions for many, but their impact on mental health appears limited. Globally, however, there are examples where direct cash transfers and stronger social support systems have helped reduce distress and save lives.
India is in the middle of a huge mental health epidemic and we need to act fast. The NCRB report for 2024 has come only now, whereas budgets are announced every year in February. The report is also limited, with insufficient details on villages, talukas, gender and other variables. Unfortunately, the figures come from the Ministry of Home Affairs when they should ideally be released by the Ministry of Health.
What India needs is a nationwide mental health movement involving all stakeholders. Just as health workers go door to door tracking infectious diseases and other illnesses, mental health screening must become a community-level exercise across the country. Mental health science is not rocket science. Anganwadi workers can be trained to identify stress, distress, suicidal tendencies, and mental illness at an early stage.
Primary Health Centres must be strengthened so that emotional distress can be detected early and addressed through a network of health workers, social workers, counsellors and psychologists.
Suicide prevention must become a partnership between the community outreach psychosocial model and the medical model.
A dedicated Mental Health Minister at both the Centre and state levels should oversee these efforts in close coordination with other ministries. Festivals, community events and public gatherings should be used to spread awareness about mental health and suicide prevention.
Every organisation should have an inclusive mental health policy. The National Tele-MANAS Helpline (14416 / 1-800-891-4416) must also be strengthened and expanded.
Dr Harish Shetty is a member of Maharashtra's suicide prevention team constituted under the directions of the Supreme Court.
