Shillong, Oct. 10 -- Like every year, World Mental health Day was observed across the world, including Meghalaya on October 10. However, after 27 years, we need to ask if the desired results have been realized, or is it just another formality for India to simply follow a day earmarked by WHO.

This year's theme is "Mental Health Promotion & Suicide Prevention".

According to WHO, close to 800 000 people die by suicide every year; that's one person every 40 seconds. Furthermore, for each suicide, there are more than 20 suicide attempts. It is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally.

Suicide occurs in all regions of the world. In fact, 79% of global suicides happen in low- and middle-income countries.

While the li...