On the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day, Union Health Minister JP Nadda urged citizens to speak openly about mental health and break the stigma that continues to surround it. He stressed that compassion and empathy can make a life-saving difference, while highlighting this year’s theme, “Changing the Narrative on Suicide,” which calls on society to create safe and supportive spaces for those who may be silently struggling. Globally, more than 720,000 people die by suicide every year, making it one of the most urgent public health challenges of our time. India alone loses over 100,000 lives annually, with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recording a worrying rise in the suicide rate from 9.9 per lakh in 2017 to 12.4 per lakh in 2022.
To address this growing concern, the government launched the National Suicide Prevention Strategy in 2022, aiming to reduce suicide mortality by 10 percent by 2030. The strategy includes multiple initiatives such as the Tele-MANAS 24/7 helpline, which now operates across 36 states and union territories and has handled over a million calls, as well as the District Mental Health Programme, which reaches 767 districts across the country. Youth-oriented initiatives like Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram and Manodarpan are being strengthened, and mental health services are being integrated into more than 1.78 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs alongside expanded facilities at AIIMS, Centres of Excellence, and medical colleges. The Health Ministry urged citizens to use the toll-free Tele-MANAS helpline at 14416, which provides free and confidential support, adding that replacing fear with empathy and isolation with support can help save lives.
While India continues to battle rising suicide numbers, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands face an even more severe crisis. The region consistently reports the highest suicide rates in the country, far above the national average. According to NCRB data, the suicide rate in the Islands stood at 39.7 per lakh in 2021, while earlier figures reveal even grimmer statistics of 41.0 in 2018, 45.5 in 2019, and 45.0 in 2020. In 2020 alone, 180 suicides were reported, meaning one life was lost every other day. Experts cite illness, family disputes, and substance abuse as key drivers, but deeper structural issues also weigh heavily on the community. The legacy of historical trauma dating back to the colonial “Kala Pani” era, geographical isolation that restricts access to mental health support, and the lack of social cohesion in a diverse island population all compound the crisis.
Authorities in the Islands have attempted to respond by engaging directly with communities through school and college outreach programmes, creating awareness initiatives via Police Entertainment Teams, and putting in place rapid response mechanisms when individuals in distress are identified. Despite these efforts, the scale of the problem continues to outpace available infrastructure and resources, making it clear that the Islands require far more focused attention.
World Suicide Prevention Day therefore carries particular significance for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It highlights the urgent need for stigma-free conversations about mental health, accessible and culturally sensitive services, and the integration of island-specific support within broader national strategies like Tele-MANAS. As India pursues its goal of reducing suicide mortality nationwide, the crisis in the Islands serves as a stark reminder that empathy, awareness, and action must be deepened in regions where vulnerability is greatest. On this day, Minister Nadda’s call to replace silence with dialogue and isolation with compassion resonates strongly across the Islands, where lives depend on it.
