Key Points:
20-year-old physiotherapy student died by suicide in Siddipet on February 22, 2026.
Police found no suicide note; investigation is underway.
January 2025 study reports nearly 230 medical student suicides in a decade.
29.6% of medical students show suicide risk; 13.9% face severe depression.
NMC data records 119 medical student suicides in the past five years.
Siddipet, Telangana, February 22, 2026: A 20-year-old first-year physiotherapy student died by suicide in her hostel room near Siddipet in Telangana, police confirmed on Sunday.
The student, identified as Srija, was found hanging in her room at a private medical college hostel in Mittapally village on the outskirts of Siddipet. According to local police, no suicide note was recovered. Authorities have registered a case and launched an investigation to determine the circumstances leading to her death.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the growing mental health crisis among medical and allied health students across India.
See also: Senior Resident Doctor Found Dead at AIIMS Rishikesh: Suspected Suicide Raises Mental Health Concerns
Srija’s death is not an isolated case. Over the past decade, India has witnessed an alarming rise in suicides among medical students and healthcare professionals.
A January 2025 exploratory study titled “Suicide among Indian Medical Students and Professionals”, published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, reported that nearly 230 medical students in India died by suicide over the past decade. The study further found that the lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts among medical students ranges between 2.9% and 5.4%.
These figures are significantly concerning given the relatively young age of most victims.
Data compiled between 2010 and 2019 documented 358 suicide deaths among medical students, residents, and practicing doctors in India, with a large proportion of victims below 30 years of age. The pattern indicates that vulnerability peaks during training years.
In a separate response to a Right to Information query, the National Medical Commission (NMC) revealed that 119 medical students died by suicide in the last five years, including 64 undergraduate MBBS students and 55 postgraduate students. Additionally, official data showed that 122 medical students died by suicide between 2018 and 2022, reflecting continued distress within the system.
Medical education in India is widely regarded as one of the most demanding academic pathways. Long study hours, competitive examinations, performance anxiety, social isolation, financial strain, and stigma around seeking mental health support contribute to emotional burnout.
The 2025 study also highlighted concerning levels of suicidal ideation and psychological distress among medical trainees. The findings suggest that depression, chronic stress, and untreated mental health conditions remain significant risk factors within medical campuses.
A 2021 cross-sectional study of 425 Indian medical students found that 13.9 % (59) of participants had moderately severe or severe depression and 20.2 % (86) had moderate or severe anxiety based on standardized questionnaires. The study also identified significant suicidal risk: 29.6 % (126) of students met suicide-risk criteria, 12.5 % (53) had at least once planned to kill themselves, and 5.4 % (23) had attempted suicide at some point. Students commonly reported barriers to seeking mental healthcare, such as preferring informal support, concerns about confidentiality, and a preference for self-diagnosis, which may contribute to underutilization of available services.
References:
1. Chadha, Gunjan, Jagriti Yadav, Khushboo, Priti Singh, Purushottam Jangid, and Rajiv Gupta. “Suicide among Indian Medical Students and Professionals: A 3-Year Exploratory Study Using Online Google Database (2020–2022).” Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences 13, no. 1 (2025): 35–41. https://journals.lww.com/armh/fulltext/2025/01000/suicide_among_indian_medical_students_and.6.aspx
2. Arun, Praveen, Parthasarathy Ramamurthy, and Pradeep Thilakan. “Indian Medical Students with Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Behavior: Why Do They Not Seek Treatment?” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine 44, no. 1 (2022): 10–16. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9022918/.
(Rh/ARC)