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Maharashtra has recorded the highest absolute number of farmer suicides in India in most years since NCRB began tracking the category. The Vidarbha region — covering Amravati, Yavatmal, and Wardha — accounts for a disproportionate share, driven by chronic debt, cotton crop failure, water scarcity, and near-total absence of formal mental health infrastructure in rural talukas. Research consistently identifies hopelessness, perceived burdensomeness, and social isolation as the proximal psychological drivers — not economic distress alone.

The NIMHANS National Mental Health Survey (2015–16) — India's most comprehensive epidemiological study of mental health — found anxiety disorders and depressive episodes are the most prevalent conditions among adolescents, with onset frequently tied to academic transition points: Std. X boards, Std. XII, and competitive entrance preparation (JEE, NEET, MHT-CET). Sagar et al. (2020) note that stigma and lack of school-based counselling mean the vast majority of affected adolescents go unidentified until symptoms become severe.

The WHO and ILO's 2022 joint report estimates that depression and anxiety cost the global economy US$1 trillion per year in lost productivity. The landmark Chisholm et al. analysis in The Lancet Psychiatry (2016) found a 4:1 return on investment from scaling up treatment across 36 countries, driven primarily by restored work capacity. In India, the ASSOCHAM survey found long hours, role ambiguity, and lack of managerial support as dominant drivers — yet fewer than 5% of Indian organisations had a structured Employee Assistance Programme at the time.