NIMHANS, Karnataka Govt expand project USHAS to 37 hospitals for suicide attempt survivors
Bengaluru: The National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), the Government of Karnataka and Himalaya Wellness Company have announced the statewide expansion of Project USHAS (Urban Self-Harm Study), aimed at strengthening psychosocial care for people who survive suicide attempts and self-harm incidents.
The announcement was made at an event held at NIMHANS to mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2026.
According to the news reports, under the expanded programme, structured psychosocial support will be provided to people who survived suicide attempts or self-harm incidents across 37 government hospitals in Karnataka. USHAS is currently operational in 16 hospitals across 10 districts.
The case for the program rests on a well-documented gap in India’s public health system. India recorded 1,70,746 suicide deaths in 2024, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, with Karnataka among the states reporting the highest numbers. Government emergency departments are often the first and only point of contact for people who survive a suicide attempt. While physical injuries are treated, many patients leave without psychosocial assessment, counselling, safety planning, or continued support during the period when they remain most vulnerable, reports Bangalore Mirror.
Since its launch in 2022, USHAS has registered 35,436 cases involving self-harm and attempted suicide. Of these, 26,385 survivors received counselling, risk assessment and structured follow-up, while 31,002 families were provided parallel support.
The programme is designed to extend care beyond the immediate hospital visit. The intervention includes a 45- to 75-minute hospital-based psychosocial session, followed by scheduled calls over 12 months and access to a dedicated helpline.
As part of the expanded programme, trained psychiatrists and clinical psychologists will provide brief interventions at hospitals, engage with families and assist survivors with safety planning and follow-up care.
According to programme data, among survivors who received the intervention, 1.3% subsequently made another suicide attempt, while 0.3% died by suicide.
The programme is expected to generate hospital-level data and implementation insights that could help inform the expansion of similar services in other parts of the country.
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, reports TOI.
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