A Study of Suicidal and Homicidal Behavior during the Last Decade among Adolescents and Young Adults in India: Trends, Risk Factors, and Public Health Implications

Abstract

Background: Suicidal and homicidal behavior among adolescents and young adults constitutes a major, under-addressed public health burden in India. The World Health Organization identifies suicide as the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally, with over 70% of such deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Objective: The aim of the study was to review and synthesize decade-long (2014–2023) national statistics and peer-reviewed literature on suicidal and homicidal/violent behavior among Indian adolescents and young adults, and to examine associated risk factors and preventive implications. Methods: A narrative-analytical review was conducted using official government data – National Crime Records Bureau “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India” and “Crime in India” reports (2014–2023) – supplemented by a structured search of PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar (2014–2026) for Indian studies on adolescent/young-adult suicidal and violent behavior. Results: India recorded 171,418 suicides in 2023, a rise from 131,008 in 2016; individuals aged 18–45 years accounted for roughly two-thirds of all suicides, and student suicides (13,892 in 2023) reached the highest absolute figure in a decade. Child suicides (below 18 years) rose 5.68% between 2022 and 2023. Concurrently, crimes against children rose to 177,335 cases in 2023 (up 9.2% from 2022), including 1,219 child murders, while the proportion of juveniles apprehended for violent offences rose from 32.5% (2016) to 49.5% (2022). School-based surveys report suicide-attempt prevalence rising from 2.1% (2016) to 6.6% (2023) among adolescents in South India (adjusted odds ratio 3.45). Academic stress, examination failure, bullying, family discord, mental health morbidity, and the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as recurrent, evidence-based risk factors. Conclusion: Suicidal and, to a lesser but rising degree, homicidal/violent behavior among Indian youth have escalated over the last decade. A coordinated, evidence-based national strategy integrating school mental-health services, examination-stress reform, restriction of lethal means, and community-based surveillance is urgently required.