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Abstract
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The prevalence of suicide in India is higher than the global average, with a suicide rate of 11·3 per 100 000 population in 2020. The 2017 Mental Health Care Act (MHCA 2017) decriminalised suicide in India, but the absence of a national suicide prevention strategy was a major barrier to effective suicide prevention. India launched its National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS) on Nov 21, 2022. 5
This is the first policy in India to make suicide prevention a public health priority. The strategy primarily aims to reduce suicide mortality by 10% by 2030 compared with 2020. The NSPS aims to achieve this target by establishing effective surveillance mechanisms (by 2025), establishing suicide prevention services through the District Mental Health Programme in all districts (by 2027), and integrating a mental wellbeing curriculum in all educational institutions (by 2030). The strategy includes an implementation framework for various activities aimed at achieving its primary objective, involving multilevel stakeholders (ministerial stakeholders at the national level, governmental stakeholders at the state and district level, mental health institutes, and strategic collaborators). The strategy recognises the crucial role of existing programmes run by various ministries in reducing the burden of suicide, either directly or indirectly. However, challenges exist that might impede its implementation in community settings.
Language: en |