More students are walking into the Regional Mental Hospital’s (RMH’s) Suicide Prevention Clinic with suicidal thoughts, with the number rising from 16 in 2023-24 to 30 in 2025-26: an 87.5% increase in three years. While the clinic’s overall patient load rose by about 12%, student cases nearly doubled. The clinic recorded 431 patients in 2023-24, including 16 students. The figure rose to 22 students among 457 patients in 2024-25 and 30 among 483 patients in 2025-26. Students accounted for 3.7% of the clinic’s patients in 2023-24 and 6.2% in 2025-26. The rise has been gradual rather than sudden. Student cases increased by 37.5% in 2024-25 and by another 36.4% in 2025-26. In the same period, the overall patient count increased from 431 to 483. Behind these numbers are concerns that can be difficult for young people to talk about.

 

 

 

Dr Deepak Awchat, Class 1 Psychiatrist, RMH, Nagpur, shared that students approach the clinic over issues including examination pressure, high expectations, relationship problems, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and identity-related concerns. Many find it difficult to discuss these struggles with parents, family members or friends. At the same time, the rise in students approaching the clinic may also point towards a change in awareness. Dr Awchat shared that more people are recognising that suicidal thoughts need professional attention rather than being something that has to be hidden or endured alone. For someone arriving with suicidal thoughts, the first conversation may be with a social worker. They speak to the person, intervene at the initial stage and register them for further professional assistance. The clinic’s records also show another group facing distress: farmers.

 

Their numbers rose from 38 in 2023-24 to 45 in 2024-25 before falling to 32 in 2025-26. Dr Deepak said financial difficulties and personal stress are among the concerns reported by farmers. Across the three completed years, the clinic recorded 1,371 patients, including 68 students and 115 farmers, while 1,188 were classified under other occupations. The broader data provided for all periods records 80 students, 123 farmers and 1,248 patients under other occupations. Men formed the larger share of patients in each of the three completed years. The clinic recorded 239 male and 192 female patients in 2023-24; 282 male and 175 female patients in 2024-25; and 288 male and 195 female patients in 2025-26. The provisional 2026 data records 40 male and 32 female patients.

 

The 2026 provisional figures include 12 students among 72 patients. Since these figures cover only part of the year, they cannot be directly compared with the completed annual figures. The clinic’s records also show treatment and follow-up. The number of patients recorded as having recovered from suicidal ideas rose from 255 in 2023-24 to 267 in 2024-25 and 273 in 2025-26. Dr Awchat’s message is that mental health needs to be treated with the same seriousness as physical health. Psychological distress can be treated with professional support from psychiatrists and counsellors, he said.