Suicides in India

Abstract

Introduction: Suicide is a mortality contributor to a major extent among young and economically productive populations. Current study aims to analyze the trend, causes, and modalities of suicides in India over the last decade. Methods: Retrospective observational study based on analysis of secondary data compiled from the National Crime Records Bureau, which is a national database maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Results: The study included data related to suicides in India from 2012-2021. An increase in the number of suicides was noted from 135445 in 2012 to 164033 in 2021. The most common approach to committing suicide was found to be hanging over the years, increasing from 37% in 2012 to 57.05% in 2021. Persons resorting to poisoning, self-immolation, drowning, and coming under running vehicles have decreased from 2012-2021. The majority of suicide victims contributed to 65.31% and 72.53% of suicides in 2012and 2021, respectively. The highest percentage of suicide victims over the years was found to be the age group of 18-30 years (34%) which is closely followed by the 30-45 years age group. Family problems have been the most common cause of suicide from 2012 (25.6%) to 2021 (33.2%), with a very slight decrease from 20.8% in 2012 to 18.6% in 2021. Conclusion: The burden of suicide has not shown any decline in last decade. There is a need for multisectoral intervention to reduce the burden of suicides, involving all the stakeholders, including government, family, community, educational institutions, and health care providers. Keywords: Suicide, Suicide Rate, Public Health, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Secondary Data.