Telangana reports 6 percent rise in suicides in 2023; family issues remain top cause, says NCRB

Telangana recorded a 6% increase in suicides in 2023, with 10,580 deaths compared to 9,980 in 2022, NCRB data shows. Family-related problems accounted for 44% of cases, while mental and physical illnesses were the second leading cause.

Hyderabad: Telangana has recorded a sharp increase of six percent in the number of suicides in 2023 when compared to 2022, according to recently released National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)-2023 statistics have indicated.

The total number of suicides increased from 9,980 in 2022 to 10,580 in 2023, placing Telangana sixth in the country for the absolute number of people who died by suicide

Telangana accounted for 6.2 per cent of the 1,71,418 suicides reported across the country in 2023. The State’s suicide rate, at 27.7 per lakh population, is significantly higher than the national average rate of 12.3 per lakh. Telangana State now has the fifth-highest suicide rate in the country.

The primary trigger for suicides in Telangana is family-related issues, which is disproportionately higher than the national average.

According to NCRB’s ‘Accidental Death and Suicides in India 2023’ report, a total of 4680 individuals died by suicide due to family problems. This constitutes about 44.2 per cent of the total number of suicides in Telangana, against the national average of 31.9 per cent.

Physical and mental illness constitute the second most common cause of suicide in Telangana. Out of the 10,580 suicides in Telangana, while 4680 took the extreme measure citing family disputes, a total of 1904 have died citing mental and physical illness, which is 18 per cent of total suicides.

Men outnumber women

Men constitute about 77.85 per cent, which is 8,236, of the total number of suicides in Telangana. The remaining 22.14 per cent (2,342) constituted women.

Consuming poison and hanging continue to remain the common means by which people are dying by suicide in Telangana. Out of the 10,580 suicides in 2023, according to the NCRDB data, a total of 5,192 deaths were related to consuming poison, followed by hanging, which was at 3,931 individuals. Furthermore, a total of four cases of mass/family suicides involving 11 individuals were also reported in 2023.

Suicide statistics of Telangana (Accidental Death and Suicides in India 2023-NCRB):

Total suicides in 2023: 10,580

Total suicides in 2022: 9,980

6 per cent rise in suicides in 2023 compared to 2022

Telangana’s share of suicides in all India: 6.2 per cent

Telangana suicide rate 27.7 per cent

The national suicide rate is 12.3 per cent

44 per cent (4680) of suicides were due to family problems

Illness (mental and physical) 18 per cent (1904)

Out of 10,580 suicides, men constituted 8,236

119 persons died by suicide due to alcohol addiction/ substance abuse

45 died by suicide citing a property dispute, while 10 for unemployment

Help is available, and suicide is preventable. Speak confidentially: Tele Manas (14416), Police helpline: 100; One life Suicide Prevention: 78930-78930; Roshini Trust: 8142020033