According to the World Health Organization (2014), the age-standardized suicide rate for Nepal revealed that the country ranks at number seven in the world (at 24.9 suicides per 100,000 population). In addition to that, another assessment conducted on the mental state of the 2015 earthquake survivors showed that there was a 10.9% increase in suicide ideation post-earthquake and an overall increase in suicide rates (International Medical Corps, 2016). Despite having a significant mental health problem, there are many gaps in research when it comes to the country’s overall mental health. Additionally, “Nepal does not have reliable data related to suicide and attempted suicide” (Marahatta et.al, 2017, p. 2?).
Professional counselling seems to be an underplayed and underrated profession in the country. According to Luitel et al. (2015), there is a median number of 0.05 for every 100,000 people regarding the ratio of psychiatrists to the low- and middle-income countries, which includes Nepal.