In India, seven in ten people who die by suicide are men
More than 1.7 lakh Indians died by suicide in 2022, about one every three minutes. Men are the least likely to ask for help first.
India's National Crime Records Bureau recorded 1,70,924 suicides in 2022, the highest number it has ever reported. That works out to roughly one every three minutes. About 72% of them were men.
Numbers that big are hard to take in, so here is a smaller one. In the time it takes to finish a cup of chai, someone in India has died by suicide, and most likely it was a man. Daily-wage workers, farmers, small business owners, students and salaried professionals are all on that list.
Men are less likely to see a doctor for low mood. When they do, they tend to describe it as tiredness, anger, headaches or "work tension", or they start drinking more. Many grew up hearing that a man who talks about his feelings is weak. So he carries the loan, the lost job, the trouble at home or the sense of having failed his family on his own, until it becomes too heavy.
Suicide can be prevented. Depression and the other conditions behind most suicides are treatable, very often with talking therapy alone.
What to watch for in someone you love - Pulling away from family and friends, going quiet. - Drinking more than usual, or driving recklessly. - Talking about being a burden, feeling trapped, or there being "no point". - Giving things away, settling affairs, or a sudden calm after a long low period.
If you notice these, ask him directly and listen. If you are the one struggling, tell one person today.
India's free, 24-hour government mental health helpline is Tele-MANAS: 14416 or 1-800-891-4416. In an emergency, call 112.
Where this comes from - National Crime Records Bureau. Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, 2022.
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