Saving Lives and Paving the Way for Mental Health Awareness with Project SURAKSHA

Suicide is a serious public health issue that affects individuals, families, and communities. There is an urgent need to create discourse and spread awareness on suicide prevention. In order to improve access to mental health support, Himalaya Wellness Company in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) along with the Government of Karnataka, will develop and indigenize a pilot model framework for suicide prevention research and surveillance in the districts of Karnataka. The initiative is in line with “LIVE LIFE,” WHO’s framework and approach for suicide prevention.

Titled SURveillance system to trAcK suicide and Self-HArm: SURAKSHA - A Community-Based Suicide Prevention Model, this pilot program will assess the feasibility and acceptability of community-based suicide prevention programs and their cost-effectiveness across varied nodal stakeholder groups involving farmers, laborers, daily wage workers, student communities, media professionals, and women groups. It will also establish a cohort for future longitudinal studies to repeatedly examine the same individuals to detect any changes that might occur over a period.

As a preliminary phase, we will develop an indigenized research model of suicide prevention in the Channapatna taluk of Ramanagara district in Karnataka State, with a comprehensive surveillance system in the community that would include early identification, crisis intervention, and referral system for mental health support.