Rural health workers to get training on suicide indicators

Ranchi: In an effort to strengthen mental healthcare services in rural and tribal areas, the Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP), Ranchi, on Monday launched a specialised training programme on mental health and suicide risk management for community health workers.

The initiative, being implemented by the department of psychiatric social work at CIP, seeks to equip frontline health workers with skills to identify mental health concerns, recognise suicide risk indicators and facilitate timely intervention at the community level.

The first phase of the programme will train 100 community health workers from Ranchi district. A total of 500 workers across five districts will be trained under the project.

Launching the programme, director of National Health Mission (NHM), Jharkhand chapter, Shashi Prakash Jha, said community-based interventions are critical for expanding access to mental healthcare in areas where specialised services remain limited.

“Trained community health workers can play an important role in identifying mental health problems, ensuring timely intervention and supporting suicide prevention efforts at the grassroots level,” Jha said.

AK Sudhanshu, acting director of CIP, stressed the importance of strengthening community awareness and early detection mechanisms.

Sudhanshu highlighted the need for greater mental health literacy, early identification of psychological distress and improved referral systems in rural and tribal communities, where access to psychiatric services often remains limited.

According to recent NCRB data, Jharkhand recorded 1,991 suicide deaths in 2024, with family problems, marital issues, unemployment and illness among the major contributing factors.