He said the suggested interventions will be locally modified and incorporated into the current systems. Suggestions from children, parents, teachers, and other leaders on improving well-being and preventing suicide will be incorporated.

Suicide is the biggest youth killer

The state government’s Annual Vital Statistics Report 2023 says suicide remains the leading cause of mortality among youngsters, claiming the lives of 1,113 people aged 25 to 34 and 814 people aged 15 to 24.

“We have been coordinating with other departments, including women and child welfare, general education and higher education. We have also been working with student initiatives like the state police cadet (SPC). In the initial phase, the strategies will be implemented in a few colleges and schools in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. We need the cooperation of parents, teachers and peers,” Dr Indu said, adding that during the process, systemic changes will happen in the departments – in schools, colleges, and organisations – leading to improved well-being of the youngsters.

“The increased violent behaviour, suicide risks, and drug use are a problem not just in Kerala, but across the world. Some students require special care, like those struggling with depression, academic pressure and health issues and those coming from difficult backgrounds. So, it is important to identify children who require special care,” said Dr Anilkumar. “We are also providing self-help strategies to improve their mental health and well-being. One such approach is to use solution-focused thinking, which encourages them to focus more on solutions rather than problems,” he said.