SUICIDE CASE
Bengaluru: Karnataka ’s Urban Self-Harm Study (Ushas) project, which counsels people in distress against suicide reattempts, has achieved a breakthrough with just 1.6% of survivors reattempting any form of self-harm following its intervention. Since its launch in 2022, the project has registered 35,436 cases of self-harm or attempted suicide. Of these, 26,385 survivors received counselling, risk assessment, and structured follow-up, and 31,002 families were brought into parallel support. The intervention includes a 45- to 75-minute hospital-based psychosocial session, scheduled follow-up calls over 12 months, and a dedicated helpline.
As part of the expansion, trained psychiatrists and clinical psychologists will deliver a brief intervention at the hospital, engage families and support safety planning. The programme will generate hospital-level data and implementation insights that can help wider adoption. Dr Rajani Parthasarathy, deputy director (mental health), department of health and family welfare, stated that findings from the first year would be analysed to guide the next phase of the programme. The programme will extend across Karnataka on the back of CSR funding from Himalaya Wellness Company. The expansion will make Karnataka one of the few states in India to have a structured post-attempt care pathway across the govt hospital network.