How Stigma of Seeing a Psychiatrist Increases Suicide Risk

India’s suicide rate is among the highest in the world, with the WHO estimating that India accounts for over a quarter of all global female suicides and nearly 40% of global male suicides. At the heart of this crisis lies one of the most preventable contributing factors: stigma. The stigma around visiting a psychiatrist in Mumbai — and across India — is not merely a social inconvenience. It is a life-threatening barrier that prevents people in distress from accessing care that could save their lives. Dr. Pavan Sonar, a psychiatrist in Mumbai, explains the direct link between psychiatric stigma and suicide risk.

How Stigma Prevents Help-Seeking

Stigma operates through multiple mechanisms to prevent people from seeking psychiatric care. Internalised stigma — a person’s own shame about their mental health struggles — creates a powerful barrier between distress and help-seeking. Public stigma — fear of how others (family, colleagues, community) will perceive the person if they learn about a psychiatric consultation — adds another layer of deterrence. In Mumbai, where family reputation, professional image, and marriage prospects are significant social concerns, these fears are not irrational — they reflect genuine social consequences in a culture that has not yet fully destigmatised mental illness.

The result is that people with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or other treatable conditions remain untreated for years — sometimes decades — while suffering silently. The WHO Treatment Gap — the gap between those who need mental health care and those who receive it — in India is estimated at over 80%. This gap is maintained primarily by stigma.

The Direct Link Between Stigma and Suicide

Research consistently demonstrates that the people most at risk of suicide are also the least likely to seek help, precisely because of stigma. Studies show that the majority of people who die by suicide have not been in contact with mental health services — despite the fact that most would have benefited from treatment. In Mumbai, this means there are thousands of people experiencing suicidal thoughts right now who will not seek help because they are afraid of being seen as “mad,” because they do not want to worry their families, or because they believe nothing can help.

Suicidal ideation is a symptom of treatable medical conditions — primarily depression, but also bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, addiction, and borderline personality disorder. When stigma prevents a person from disclosing these thoughts to a psychiatrist, the underlying condition remains untreated, and suicidal thoughts intensify rather than resolving.

Breaking Stigma Is a Medical Priority

Reducing psychiatric stigma is not a cultural luxury — it is a medical intervention with direct life-saving consequences. When communities, families, and individuals change their attitudes towards psychiatric care, people seek help earlier, treatment outcomes improve, and suicide rates decrease. Evidence from countries that have implemented sustained anti-stigma campaigns shows measurable reductions in treatment delay and improved mental health outcomes at a population level.

For information on depression treatment — the most common condition associated with suicidal thoughts — visit Dr. Sonar’s depression treatment page. Full services are at the services page.

What Families Can Do to Save Lives in Mumbai

Family members play a critical role in recognising distress and encouraging help-seeking. Key actions include: taking expressions of hopelessness or suicidal thoughts seriously rather than dismissing them; actively encouraging and facilitating psychiatric consultation rather than waiting for the person to “get better on their own”; reducing internalised stigma by openly discussing mental health as a medical matter; and accompanying distressed family members to their first consultation if needed. The response to “I don’t think life is worth living” should be “let’s get you to a doctor” — not “don’t say such things.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if someone in Mumbai tells me they are thinking about suicide?

Take it seriously. Do not dismiss, minimise, or express shock or anger. Listen calmly and ask directly whether they are thinking about ending their life — asking does not increase risk and often provides relief to someone who has been holding the thought alone. Help them contact a psychiatrist or take them to an emergency department immediately. Call Dr. Sonar’s clinic at +91 85918 40141 for guidance. If there is immediate danger, go directly to the nearest hospital emergency.

Is thinking about suicide always a sign of mental illness?

Passive thoughts of death (wishing one didn’t exist, feeling that others would be better off) can arise in response to severe life stress even without a formal mental illness diagnosis. Active suicidal ideation — planning, intent — is virtually always associated with a psychiatric condition requiring urgent treatment. Both warrant professional assessment.

Seek Help — Lives Are Saved by Psychiatry

If you or someone you know in Mumbai is struggling with thoughts of suicide or severe mental health distress, please do not let stigma stand in the way of getting help. Dr. Pavan Sonar — MBBS, DNB, DPM — is available for urgent and routine psychiatric consultations. Recognised among Mumbai’s Best Doctors (Outlook Best Doctors Award).

Call +91 85918 40141 immediately. Online consultations available. Visit the homepage for complete information.