Psychotherapist Warns of Rising Self-Harm Crisis in India
Psychotherapist Namrata Jain warns of a growing, largely unnoticed self-harm epidemic across age groups in India.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 17: Mumbai-based psychotherapist Namrata Jain has raised serious concerns over what she describes as a silent but rapidly escalating self-harm epidemic in India, cutting across age groups and genders. Based on extensive clinical observations alongside her team, Jain points to unmet mental health needs, delayed interventions, and widespread lack of awareness as key contributors to the growing crisis.
According to Jain, instances of self-harm are increasing steadily among children, adolescents, young adults, and older individuals alike. What is most alarming, she notes, is that many of these behaviours remain unrecognised or misunderstood until they escalate into more severe outcomes. The multi-factorial nature of self-harm—spanning psychological, social, cultural, and systemic factors—demands urgent, coordinated action.
Among children and pre-adolescents, self-harm often manifests in subtle and easily overlooked ways. Repetitive behaviours such as hair pulling, scratching, or play that stimulates harm, along with frequent somatic complaints used to avoid school, may signal deeper emotional distress. Jain stresses that sudden changes in academic performance, mood shifts, and social withdrawal should not be dismissed, as early intervention can prevent escalation.
As children enter adolescence, self-harm behaviours often become more overt and dangerous. Cutting, burning, and the romanticisation of self-harm on social media platforms are increasingly observed. This age group is also more vulnerable to eating disorders, with behaviours sometimes reinforced by peer pressure or cohort contagion. Academic stress and unregulated exposure to online content further compound the risk.
In young adults, Jain notes that self-harm commonly presents as non-suicidal self-injury used as a coping mechanism to manage panic, dissociation, or emotional numbness. Among adult men, however, emotional suppression often delays help-seeking until distress escalates into suicidal ideation.
“We are seeing more men attempting suicide than women, which raises serious red flags about how unsupported men feel in expressing or addressing mental health concerns,” Jain said. “Among women, we observe higher instances of suicidal ideation and non-lethal attempts, where self-harm becomes a way of communicating distress in environments where direct expression is discouraged or punished.”
In older adults, mental health challenges are frequently linked to social isolation, chronic health conditions, financial strain, and unresolved grief. Without deliberate recognition and intervention, Jain warns that these factors can significantly increase vulnerability to self-harm.
Unless the issue is explicitly acknowledged and addressed, Jain cautions that the situation may escalate into a nationwide public health crisis—one that India’s already strained mental health infrastructure is ill-equipped to manage.
“I urge individuals, families, educators, and mental health professionals to educate themselves about the warning signs,” Jain said. “Mental healthcare must be reframed as preventive, not reactive. Timely support and informed intervention can change trajectories and save lives.”
She emphasised that addressing self-harm requires destigmatisation, early screening, community education, and accessible mental health services, alongside responsible media and social discourse.
About Namrata Jain
Namrata Jain is a Mumbai-based psychotherapist with extensive experience in working across age groups on issues related to emotional regulation, trauma, self-harm, and suicide prevention. She is committed to mental health advocacy, awareness, and preventive care through clinical practice and public education.
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