Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Urban Self-Harm Study (Ushas) project, which counsels people in distress against suicide reattempts, has achieved a breakthrough with just 1.6% of survivors reattempting any form of self-harm following its intervention.Karnataka’s prevention rate is said to be way better than the global range of 3-4% in reattempt-related deaths or self-harm. Among those who received intervention by Karnataka’s prevention cell, only 1.3% made reattempts, of whom 0.3% died by suicide.Ushas, a venture between Karnataka govt and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans), operates in 16 hospitals in 10 districts of Karnataka. On World Suicide Prevention Day, which fell on Thursday, the initiative was extended to all 31 districts of the state.Since its launch in 2022, the project has registered 35,436 cases of self-harm or attempted suicide. Of these, 26,385 survivors received counselling, risk assessment, and structured follow-up, and 31,002 families were brought into parallel support.The intervention includes a 45- to 75-minute hospital-based psychosocial session, scheduled follow-up calls over 12 months, and a dedicated helpline. As part of the expansion, trained psychiatrists and clinical psychologists will deliver a brief intervention at the hospital, engage families and support safety planning.The programme will generate hospital-level data and implementation insights that can help wider adoption. Dr Rajani Parthasarathy, deputy director (mental health), department of health and family welfare, stated that findings from the first year would be analysed to guide the next phase of the programme.“A one-time counselling session helps at the moment. What prevents a second attempt is a trained professional who stays with that patient’s case for months, not hours,” said Dr YC Janardan Reddy, director, Nimhans.The programme will extend across Karnataka on the back of CSR funding from Himalaya Wellness Company. The expansion will make Karnataka one of the few states in India to have a structured post-attempt care pathway across the govt hospital network.Expanded Ushas ProjectTotal hospitals: 3731 district hospitals6 govt hospitals in Bengaluru: KCG, Jayanagar General, Sir CV Raman General, Bowring & Lady Curzon, Vani Vilas, VictoriaWhat’s part of intervention?Community-based surveillance systemBrief Intervention for self-harm and suicidalitySchool-based interventionIEC materials and social media interventionsCentral storage of pesticides (CSP)Training for responsible suicide reporting in mediaSuraksha helpline
