NIMHANS observes Suicide Prevention Day, flags Karnataka’s higher suicide rate at 20.2 pc

Bengaluru, Sep 10 (PTI) NIMHANS on Wednesday observed World Suicide Prevention Day and the first anniversary of its N-SPRITE (NIMHANS Suicide Prevention, Research, Implementation, Training and Engagement) Centre, highlighting key achievements in reducing repeat self-harm attempts through its flagship project, USHAS.

Karnataka’s suicide rate stands at 20.2 per cent, higher than the national average of 12.4 per cent, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences said.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022 data, the state records 13,606 suicides annually. Bengaluru ranks third among Indian megacities in the number of suicides.

USHAS (Urban Self-Harm Study), implemented under N-SPRITE in collaboration with the Karnataka government, has significantly reduced the re-attempt rate among people admitted to public hospitals after self-harm, NIMHANS said in a statement.

“More than 10 per cent of individuals who attempt self-harm may die by suicide, so it is vital to support them. Under USHAS, this rate has been brought down to negligible levels,” NIMHANS Director Dr Pratima Murthy said.

The re-attempt rate has fallen to 1.19 per cent and deaths to 0.2 per cent, said Dr Anish V Cherian, Additional Professor and N-SPRITE lead.

Since 2022, USHAS has been rolled out in 16 public hospitals across 11 districts, including KC General Hospital, Victoria Hospital, Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College and Research Institute, Jayanagar General Hospital, Vani Vilas Hospital, CV Raman Hospital, and district hospitals in Kolar, Chikkamagaluru, and Tumakuru.

The project maintains self-harm registries of individuals arriving at emergency departments, screens them for suicide risk, studies their characteristics, and provides brief interventions with telephone-based follow-up. It also includes a youth-focused component, YASHAS (Youth Mental Health and Self-Harm Study).

So far, 20,861 people have been registered under USHAS, the statement added. Most are in the 25–39 age group (44.37 pc), followed by the 18–24 group (28.87 pc). Of them, 55.76 pc are male, 44.15 pc female, and 0.09 pc transgender persons. A large proportion had a history of alcohol, nicotine, or other substance use, the institute said.

Interventions were provided to 16,264 people; 194 (1.19 pc) re-attempted self-harm, and 37 (0.2 pc) died following re-attempts. Among youth, women-centric issues such as dysmenorrhea, Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and postpartum challenges were identified as major triggering factors, NIMHANS noted. PTI AMP SSK