When India released its data on deaths by suicide in 2021, two things stood out: the suicide rate was at an all-time high and 1 in 4 people who died were daily wage earners.
Experts say the situation is “alarming”, but for those working in the labor sector, it came as no surprise. It was a stark reminder of the continued social, economic and mental toll of COVID-19 on marginalized groups.
Why we wrote this
While many countries avoided the projected rise in suicides during the pandemic, new data shows India’s toll rose in 2020 and 2021. Experts say the deaths point to an urgent need for a prevention strategy more holistic suicide.
During the pandemic, many at the bottom of the country’s increasingly informal workforce have faced denial of fair wages, mounting debt and a lack of means of redress. This type of pressure “affects an individual at all levels and has an impact on their interpersonal relationships”, explains Lakshmi Vijayakumar, psychiatrist and founder of the suicide prevention association SNEHA.
At the same time, a growing body of research points to the need to move away from examining suicide through the prism of individual health and to recognizing it as a broader societal issue.
Dr Vijayakumar said tackling India’s suicide crisis will require the involvement of multiple sectors, “and this can only be possible if we have a strong coordinating body or a national strategy”.
Suicide data in India is massively underreported, yet the country has the highest number of suicide deaths in the world. When the National Crime Records Bureau recently released its 2021 data, two things stood out: the suicide rate was at an all-time high, and 1 in 4 people who died by suicide were daily wage earners.
Experts say the situation is “alarming”, but for those working in the labor sector, “it’s no surprise”, says Divya Varma, who leads outreach and policy advocacy at the Aajeevika Office, a non-profit organization working with migrant worker communities. It was a stark reminder of the continued social, economic and mental toll of COVID-19 on marginalized groups.
“The trauma that we saw on the ground, it showed up in numbers,” she adds.
Why we wrote this
While many countries avoided the projected rise in suicides during the pandemic, new data shows India’s toll rose in 2020 and 2021. Experts say the deaths point to an urgent need for a prevention strategy more holistic suicide.
What are the main lessons from the new data?
Contrary to expectations, most countries have not experienced a significant increase in suicide deaths during COVID-19. India, however, recorded 164,033 suicide deaths in 2021, an increase of more than 7% from 2020, which saw a 10% jump from the previous year.
‘Illness’ and ‘family problems’ were cited as the main drivers of suicide deaths last year. But when we look at the data by other metrics — high numbers of suicide deaths among middle-aged men, the self-employed, and daily wage earners — we can actually see the results of economic pressure” affecting an individual at all levels”. and impacts their interpersonal relationships,” says Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar, a psychiatrist and founder of the Chennai-based non-profit suicide prevention organization SNEHA.
India is facing a massive jobs and unemployment crisis. For many at the bottom of the increasingly informal workforce, COVID-19 has served as a tipping point, Varma says. The denial of fair wages, mounting debt and a lack of avenues of redress have left workers deeply stressed and likely contributed to the rise in suicides, she adds.
At the same time, the suicide rate among women and girls in India remains double the global rate, with housewives being the most affected profession after daily wage earners.
How has the government responded to the suicide crisis?
India has been hailed in recent years for trying to shift the government’s role in suicide prevention from one of punishment to one of support, but obstacles to progress remain. The Mental Health Care Act 2017 largely decriminalized attempted suicide, but India’s British-era penal code still treats suicide as a crime, and Dr Vijayakumar says such legal anomalies lead to harassment and continued stigma for survivors.
The law also provided for the availability of mental health services in every district, but there has been a serious lack of implementation, says Priti Sridhar, chief executive of Mariwala Health Initiative, a mental health funding and advocacy organization. .
Yet for a crisis of India’s magnitude, providing mental health services may not be enough.
A growing body of research underscores the need to move away from examining suicide through the prism of individual health and recognize it as a broader societal issue, says Ms Sridhar.
How can India better support vulnerable communities?
Dr Vijayakumar – who in 2018 was part of a government task force that developed a national suicide prevention strategy, which has yet to be implemented – says India’s suicide crisis cannot be solved by the health department alone. This requires the involvement of multiple sectors, “and this can only be possible if we have a strong coordinating body or a national strategy,” she adds.
Until then, some initiatives aimed to address the challenges facing workers. Aajeevika Bureau and Working People’s Charter have launched India Labourline, a national helpline that helps settle wage disputes and tackle rights violations by mediating with employers or contractors on behalf of workers. According to experts, an intervention model like this can be easily scaled up with government support.
Some say that suicide prevention is achievable without requiring huge financial investments and other resources. This may involve, for example, training the existing network of Indian community workers to identify and prevent last mile suicides.
“Most suicidal people are ambivalent,” says Dr. Vijayakumar. “Their desire to live and their desire to die is like a seesaw battle for them. So at that time, if some support is given, many suicides can be prevented.
#Mental #health #work #crisis #Indias #suicide #data