From despair to hope: The fight against suicide

World Suicide Prevention Day

Lalit Garg

(The writer can be reached at lalitgarg11@gmail.com)

Suicide has today become a profound and tragic global challenge. Every year, millions of people surrender to despair and end their lives. According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 720,000 people die by suicide annually. This is not only a personal tragedy but also a social, emotional, and economic crisis. Among those aged 15 to 29, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death. For this reason, every year on September 10, World Suicide Prevention Day is observed. From 2024 to 2026, the theme has been set as “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”. Its aim is to break the silence surrounding suicide and transform it from a passive topic of avoidance into an active subject of dialogue and collaboration. This shift in perspective challenges the way people think and talk about suicide, promotes open and honest conversations, breaks stigma, and fosters understanding. It reminds us that life offers better alternatives than self-destruction and that society must create an environment where seeking help is not seen as weakness but as courage, and where people extend support to each other.

Suicide is often the outcome of unbearable circumstances, and it is difficult for outsiders to fully grasp the deprivation, stress, and pain that drive a person to this extreme. The word ‘suicide’ embodies a terrifying truth about fleeing from life—it shocks the heart, instills fear, and brings deep anguish. It is the greatest tragedy of human existence, eclipsing the meaning and dignity of being human. When the courage to live weakens, individuals sink into darkness and move towards self-annihilation. Globally, this remains a grave problem, as new data continue to reveal its severity. In 2021, an estimated 727,000 suicides took place, which means that every 43 seconds someone ended their life. Nearly 73% of these suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries, disproportionately affecting young people and homemakers. In India, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report of 2021, 51.5% of women who died by suicide were homemakers. Over two decades, India’s suicide rate has risen from 7.9 to 10.3 per 100,000 population. In states like Uttarakhand, family discord has been a major trigger.

Ambition among young people has outpaced their capacity, family harmony has eroded, fear of failure has deepened, and tolerance for stress has weakened. For this reason, pressures of study, failures in securing jobs, broken relationships, and financial struggles are pushing many young people and adolescents toward suicide. India’s situation is even more alarming. According to NCRB data, in 2022, the country recorded 170,924 suicides—the highest ever—with a suicide rate of 12.4 per 100,000, the highest in years. More than two-thirds of these were people aged 18 to 45, which shows that the young and working population is the most affected. State-level figures are also troubling: Sikkim recorded a rate of about 43 per 100,000, while Bihar’s was less than 1. The causes of suicide are numerous and intertwined with social, economic, and psychological factors. Unemployment, poverty, family disputes, failed relationships, addiction, and illnesses are major reasons. Mental illness and depression have intensified the problem. Between 2018 and 2022, suicides linked to mental health issues rose by 44%. NCRB data from 2022 revealed that 33% of suicides were tied to family problems, nearly 19% to illnesses, 6–7% to marriage-related issues, and 6% to debt and financial distress. Student suicides are especially worrisome—they accounted for 7.6% of all suicides in 2022. The crisis is global, but in India it is aggravated by social competition, consumerist lifestyles, weakening family structures, and economic inequality. Suicide is not just the end of one life—it shatters the hopes of entire families and societies.

To confront this grave challenge, individual efforts are insufficient—society and government must act together. The Indian government took steps in 2017 by decriminalising suicide attempts under the Mental Healthcare Act and in 2020 launched the national helpline Kiran, which provides 24x7 support in 13 languages. In 2022, a National Suicide Prevention Strategy was introduced, with the goal of reducing suicide rates by 10% by 2030. The strategy emphasises expanding mental health services, setting up counselling centres, creating jobs, strengthening family dialogue, sensitising the media, and building community support systems. NGOs and helplines such as Aasra, Vandrevala, and Samaritans Mumbai are also playing a vital role. The most effective way to prevent suicide is to infuse hope, courage, and support into the lives of those trapped in despair. Solutions lie not in suicide but in resilience, faith, and a caring society that stands by individuals in their struggles.

It is the tragic reality of our times that while advancements in medicine have reduced deaths from disease, suicide deaths have risen sharply. Materialistic lifestyles, cutthroat competition, depression, and inner imbalance have left people hollow inside. Even renowned artists who appear cheerful in public sometimes suddenly take their own lives because inner loneliness and pressure suffocate them. This raises the question—why do people with no shortage of resources or support also fail to endure life’s ups and downs? Farmer suicides, financial distress, business losses, broken relationships, divorces, and deprivation remain deeply rooted causes. The disintegration of families and communities further intensifies people’s sense of helplessness. Suicide is a stain on the forehead of any civilised society. As historian Arnold Toynbee aptly said, “Civilisations die not by murder but by suicide.” It is imperative to change this reality. Governments, organizations, communities, and families must promote a culture of dialogue and support. When someone is in crisis, family, friends, neighbours, and colleagues must not leave them alone but instead hold their hand.

We must create a social structure where seeking help is seen not as weakness but as bravery, where stress and depression are taken seriously, and where mental health is a priority. Children must be taught from an early age to confront challenges, to see failures as part of life, and to develop resilience. World Suicide Prevention Day reminds us that suicide is preventable, that lives can be transformed through dialogue and solidarity, and that everyone deserves the chance to begin anew. It teaches us that while life can indeed be hard, there are always alternatives to giving up.