In every year, September 10 marks World Suicide Prevention Day, drawing attention to one of the most pressing public health concerns. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds.
Nepal is also grappling with the alarming figure of suicide. The suicide rate has been increased by 60 percent in a decade – from 4332 in the fiscal year 2071/72 to 7223 in 2081/82. This means we are losing about 20 Nepalese every single day. This is not just statistics, but our sons, daughters, friends, and loved ones.
Worryingly, children are not spared. Among reported child suicides, nearly 65 percent are girls. On a provincial scale, Koshi Province records the highest suicide rate.
Government efforts
The government of Nepal has expressed its strong commitments to prevent suicide in its policies and action plan. The current National Mental Helath Action Plans 2017 envisions preparing special action plans, awareness rising for the suicide prevention. Likewise, functional suicide prevention helpline survey provides counseling services for the people with suicide ideations. The Sustainable Development Goals, which in larger scale, aims to reduce suicide by 4.3% per lakhs by 2030.
The discourse: blaming the victims
In most suicide cases and attempt, the tendency is to blame the victims. Suicide is often associated with individual failings – such as defenselessness, helplessness, hopelessness, personal weakness and mental health problems. In the cases of suicidal attempt, stigma, stereotypes, and victim-blaming by society that can become more unbearable. This raises a profound question: is an individual solely responsible for suicide, or do the structural conditions created by society play a defining role?
Revisiting the discourse
Just think of a child whose birth was once celebrated with joy by family, relatives and communities. Everybody plays significant roles with love, care and countless contribution to nurture the child. From the very beginning, individuals live is not shaped by their own will but by the different hands of family and society- family, neighbors, teachers and other invisible structures- that guides and directs our path. Society nurtures and influences each stage of development of a person.
As we age, our live is not about ourselves. Gradually, we begin to live for others- for our children, parents, partners and communities. In many ways we find joy and purpose in the smiles of our family members. Every day we toil, not only to survive but to love and to beloved. In such world of responsibilities and bonds, does anyone truly want to abandon everything and leave their work, their dreams, and their loved ones unfinished?
Yet, when someone decided to end their lives, we are quick to isolate them- placing the entire blame to them. This raises critical questions: if an individual is largely the outcome of societal shaping, how can we separate their struggles from the structures and conditions of society? Can we truly assign blame only to the person, ignoring the broader social context that determines both successes and failures?
This perspective compels us to view suicide not merely as an individual act but as one deeply rooted in societal contexts. It is often rises from the sense of exclusion, when individuals feel unable to fit within the societal norms, values, and expectations that society enforces silently. When someone feels they no longer have a place in larger surrounding structure of society, despair often become stronger and overpower their desire to live.
Even in their deepest despair, people struggling with suicidal thoughts are not longing for death—they are longing for the help and relief. They want to be heard. They long to express their inner feelings and emotions to someone they can trust, to share the feelings of their hearts with someone who will listen without judgment. Instead of encouraging help-seeking, such struggles are often labeled as personal weakness. In our society, words like mental health and suicide are associated with stigma. Speaking openly about them is seen as weakness, when in truth it is an act of courage. And when no one listens, the silence becomes heavier.
At the same time, the way suicide is reported in the media—especially when methods are detailed—can act as a trigger for vulnerable individuals. Families who lose someone to suicide are not only grieving—they are also burdened with blame, whispers, and stigma. Sometimes, it is not the death itself but society’s harsh judgments pierce the deeper than the death itself. .
Way forward
Suicide is not the problems of individuals who commit suicide and their family. It is the wider public health concern that touches us all. None of us can predict when such a tragedy might strike our own homes, families, or communities.
As suicide is highly considered with stigma and taboo, widespread awareness-raising will be one of the top initiatives. Along with the civil society organizations, the governemnt- particularly local government- must take lead. Local institutions are closest to the people and are in the best position to build trust, provide timely support, and challenge harmful stigmas. Expanding awareness activities beyond urban centers to rural communities is essential. Especially since the current toll-free helpline services are more accessible to the urban people such services should be expanded at the local levels.
We often dismiss suicide as a distant issue-until it enters our own family or circle of friends. By then, it is often too late. Suicide prevention must go beyond symbolic gestures or marking a single awareness day each year. It requires compassion, support, connection, and above all, a willingness to listen – deeply and without judgment-before silence claims another life.
