KOCHI: Suicide deaths show a decline in Kerala , according to a study that analyses the data of last 26 years from 1990 to 2016. The state mental health authorities attribute the drop to successful implementation of the mental health programme.The study, “Gender differentials and state variations in suicide deaths in India: The Global burden of disease study 1990-2016” published in The Lancet shows that suicide rates have reduced in both men and women. However, more men in Kerala commit suicide than women.While in 1990, 16.8 per 1 lakh women committed suicide, in 2016 it was 13.2 per 1 lakh women in Kerala. In contrast, at the national level, death rate was 19.4 per 1 lakh women in 1990 and 14.9 per 1 lakh women in 2016. On the other hand, when it came to men committing suicide in Kerala, from the rate of 29.7 per 1 lakh men in 1990, it has come down to 29.5 per 1 lakh men in 2016. In India, the suicide amongst men has increased from 18.6 per 1 lakh men in 1990 to 19.9 per 1 lakh men in 2016.The study was done with funding from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Indian Council of Medical Research and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to have a systematic understanding of suicide mortality trends over time at the subnational level for India’s 1.3 billion people.“At one point, the suicide rate in Kerala crossed 30 per 1 lakh persons. But now it is less than 25 per 1 lakh persons. It is on a steady decline,” said Dr Jayaprakash K P, secretary, Kerala State Mental Health Authority said.Health authorities said that the prime reason for this is better social security and improved financial prospects in the state. Also, mental health services are strong in the state and are offered even in community-level hospitals.“It is invariably due to better health facility. People are also seeking professional help. There is more awareness, more diagnosis of mental illness, especially depression and more people are willing to take medicine. Stigma has come down significantly,” said Dr T R John, psychiatrist, Aster Medcity Dr K S Shaji, psychiatrist, Thrissur Medical College said the suicide rates have been falling for the past few years. “The exact reason is not known but we believe that this maybe because of various interventions in mental health. Kerala is the only state that has mental health programme in all the 14 districts besides several suicide prevention activities,” said Shaji.

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