India’s Suicide Crisis: The Petition That Could Save Thousands of Lives

You may not know this yet, but somewhere in India, every three minutes, someone chooses to end their life.

Sometimes it’s a 14-year-old who didn’t know how to say they were overwhelmed.
Sometimes it’s a mother who silently carried the weight of depression.
Sometimes it’s a young man who smiled in public but broke down alone at night.

Every day, 468 people die by suicide in India. That’s over 1.7 lakh lives lost each year; each one a heartbreaking story of silence, stigma, and suffering.

And the question that echoes through every grieving family is the same:
“Could this have been prevented?”

The Movement That Says: Yes, It Could. And It Still Can.

A growing petition is calling on the Supreme Court of India to make mental health education mandatory in all schools, starting from Class 1. And it’s not just a legal effort, it’s a moral one.

Because what if kids were taught how to name their emotions instead of hiding them?
What if resilience was taught as much as arithmetic?
What if a child learned to ask for help as easily as they learned to write their name?

This petition believes they should. This movement is backed by Middlemen.asia and Wedidit Foundation, organizations committed to transforming lives through advocacy, legal aid, and systemic reforms. The goal is ambitious—1 million signatures in 100 days—but the urgency is greater. Because change doesn’t begin in courtrooms.

It begins with you.

Why Mental Health Education Matters

Think back to your own school days.
Were you ever taught how to deal with anxiety? Grief? Panic? Loneliness?

Most weren’t. And today’s children still aren’t.

In a world where academic success is prized above all, emotional intelligence has been left behind. But the mind, like any muscle, needs to be cared for, understood, and trained to cope with stress.

Mandating mental health education isn’t about adding another subject to the syllabus—it’s about giving students the vocabulary to name their pain, the confidence to ask for help, and the strength to help others.

It’s about planting the seeds of resilience, empathy, and self-worth while there’s still time.

The Tragedy in Numbers

• India has the highest suicide rate in the world: 21.1 per 100,000 (WHO)

• 80% of those who need mental health care don’t receive it (National Mental Health Survey)

• By 2030, mental health issues could cost India over $1 trillion in productivity loss (WHO)

These numbers are terrifying not because they’re big, but because they represent real people, loved ones who should still be here.

Image Credit: Aditya Singh Sonigra

What This Petition Aims to Do

• Make mental health education mandatory in all Indian schools.

• Ensure early emotional intervention before problems escalate.

• Reduce suicide rates, crime, and untreated mental illness.

• Position India as a global leader in youth mental wellness.

But none of this will happen without public support.

How You Can Make a Difference

1. Sign the Petition – It takes less than a minute. But your name could help save countless others.

2. Share It Widely – The more people who see it, the stronger the message becomes.

3. Talk About Mental Health – With your friends, your family, your community. Every conversation chips away at stigma.

This Is More Than a Petition. It’s a Promise.

A promise to children who feel invisible.
A promise to families left with unbearable questions.
A promise that the next generation will grow up in a country where mental health matters, not just in theory, but in classrooms, policies, and daily life.

If we teach our children how to calculate interest, we can teach them how to ask for help.
If we tell them how to succeed, we must also show them how to heal.

This is how we start.
With one petition. With one name. With yours.

Sign the Petition — and stand up for a future where no one suffers in silence again.