According to a study conducted by the Nepal Police, suicide incidents predominantly affect the poor, middle class, and farmers. The “Report on Suicide Reduction and Management, 2024,” prepared after a year-long study by a team including doctors from the Nepal Police Hospital, found that 85 percent of suicidal deaths occur in impoverished and middle-class families. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashish Dutt, the principal investigator of the project, explained that the study was based on a survey conducted in two districts of each province, as well as in-depth interviews, discussions, and suicide data from 77 district police offices spanning 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.
The study revealed that the highest suicide rates were among those in the agricultural profession, with 46.2 percent of suicides in the last two years occurring among farmers. Following this group were laborers at 17.9 percent, students at 15.4 percent, and housewives at 11.6 percent. Several reports indicate that this trend has remained consistent for the past two decades, suggesting that insufficient efforts have been made to prevent suicides in these demographics.
The World Health Organization has noted that low- and middle-income countries have higher incidences of psychological problems, often leading to increased stress, frustration, anxiety, and depression. The Nepal Police study also examined the educational backgrounds of those who committed suicide, finding that the majority had only basic education. Specifically, 63.1 percent could only read and write, while 2.8 percent had studied up to elementary level, 6.7 percent up to lower secondary, and 13 percent up to secondary level. Among the deceased, 9 percent were graduates, and 0.4 percent were postgraduate students.
In terms of ethnicity, 39 percent of the deceased were indigenous, 31.1 percent were Brahmin-Kshetri, 9.3 percent were Madhesi, 20.5 percent were Dalits, and 31.1 percent were from other marginalized groups. Psychological issues were the leading cause of suicides at 38.8 percent, with mental stress accounting for 27.8 percent. Other causes included love-related issues at 8.2 percent, financial reasons at 8 percent, and chronic illness at 7.5 percent. Drug abuse was linked to 4.7 percent of the deaths, and alcohol consumption to 2.8 percent. Physical disabilities, unethical relationships, and unemployment were also contributing factors.
The study found that 83.5 percent of suicides were by hanging, while 15 percent were by poisoning. Suicide notes were found in only 1.4 percent of cases. During the research period, interviews with 15 individuals who had attempted suicide revealed that many did so due to unresolved disputes with family members or friends. Financial difficulties, pressure from loans, and feelings of loneliness due to parental absence were also common factors.
Experts involved in the study emphasized the need for increased coordination among relevant agencies to reduce suicide rates. They recommended forming a task force at the district, municipal, and ward levels. The report suggests appointing senior officers in each police unit as contact officers for suicide reduction and management, who would coordinate the implementation of action plans at the district level.
Additionally, the report recommends creating profiles of psychiatrists, counselors, doctors, and other professionals for district-level interactions and providing timely treatment or counseling to those who have attempted suicide, families of suicide victims, victims of violence, and individuals with mental illnesses. Collaborating with the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to locate individuals posting suicidal content on social media is also suggested.
The report advocates placing psychiatrists, or other trained health workers, in communities for treatment and counseling through community-police partnership programs targeting secondary-level students. It also calls for conducting awareness classes on health and stress management, controlling the sale and distribution of pesticides, and implementing door-to-door programs to identify and treat mentally ill patients.
