Innovative Theatre-Based Programme Aims to Prevent Youth Suicide in India

With rising suicide rates among youth in India, psychiatrists from Schizophrenia Research Foundation in Chennai are pulling out all the STOPS — School-based intervention using Theatre of the Oppressed for Prevention of Suicide.

Funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research and targeted at teens aged 14 to 17, the suicide-prevention programme is being piloted in 15 urban and rural schools in Tamil Nadu, where mental health experts use theatre and art to spark conversations on a taboo topic.

“College is too late to begin talking about suicide. Adolescents are already showing risk,” says Dr Pavithra Arunachaleeswaran, consultant psychiatrist at Scarf.

“The pilot data from this project has shown that by using experiential methods, adolescents can be engaged in conversations around suicide. It will help de-stigmatize challenges around help-seeking when teenagers have suicidal thoughts,” says Dr Shiva Prakash Srinivasan, head of Scarf’s department of Youth Mental Health.
“Schools are hesitant to talk about suicide,” says Dr Pavithra. “The word still scares them; they would rather talk about ‘well-being’. But we need to talk about suicide and not ignore it, hoping it magically disappears.”

One of the STOPS methods used is an adaptation of participatory theatre, where a scene is staged based on a common stressor, and then the audience, in this case, students, step in and join the ‘play’. Psychologist and researcher Aravind Guru says this is when the usually guarded teenagers open up. “If I ask directly, ‘What’s happening at home’, they hesitate. But when we ask them to act out an issue — say, a father who drinks — students are more responsive,” says Aravind, a facilitator for the programme.
“Students at the schools where we work are now talking to each other. They see that their lives are similar and there is no shame in what they are feeling.”

The team runs sessions over two to three days in each school, and when students seek help, they are referred to counsellors, or suicide prevention helplines such as Sneha or TeleMANAS.

The programme also trains “gatekeepers” — teachers and parents — on how to spot the signs of suicide ideation, depression and self-harm. Dr Srinivasan says the patterns they frequently hear about or see are change in behaviour such as irritability, arguments, or suddenly going quiet; an academic dip; wanting to skip games period; sleep and hygiene changes; and visible injuries (cuts on wrists, bruised knuckles) and secrecy around them.

“But not all self-harm is a suicide attempt. It can be a way to cope or regulate emotions,” says Dr Pavithra. “Either way, it’s a cry for help, and caregivers need to engage, not dismiss or punish.”

Why prevention is important

• India with 253 million children constitutes one-fifth of the adolescent population in the world
• 40% of suicide deaths in men and 56% of suicide deaths in women occurs between 15 and 29 years of age
• Suicide ranks as the fourth most common cause of death in the 15-19 age group
• National Crime Records Bureau statistics showed a 7.1% increase in suicides in 2021 compared to 2020; actual suicide rate may be six to nine times higher; Tamil Nadu has historically reported higher suicide rates compared to national average
• National Mental Health Survey shows the ratio for suicide to attempted suicide is 1:15 while the ratio for suicide to suicidality (risk of suicide) is 1:200, showing need for prevention activities
• 2025 study on relationship between intergenerational conflict and suicidal behaviour among youth aged 18 to 24 years in Chennai shows academic pressure, family conflicts, relationship issues, socioeconomic disparities and cultural stigma surrounding mental health contribute to vulnerability

(2023 multicentric Indian study published in Journal of Affective Disorders; 2025 International Journal of Social Psychiatry; Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health (2024)


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