Three-minute read
Suicide among students—particularly those studying medicine—has become one of the most alarming and tragic social crises in Iran today. Recent reports point to a growing wave of psychological distress within this highly educated demographic, underscoring not only individual tragedies but systemic failures in Iran’s educational, economic, and political structures.
According to a report by Etemad Online on May 25, 2025, Masoud Habibi, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Students at the regime’s Ministry of Health, revealed that in 2024 alone, seven medical students died by suicide, 84 attempted suicide, and 1,046 others reported experiencing suicidal thoughts. Furthermore, screenings conducted by the Ministry’s Cultural and Student Affairs Office showed that over 40,000 medical students currently require psychotherapy interventions.
#Iran News in Brief
On Feb 3, the Secretary-General of the Medical Society revealed that due to socio-economic crises, 80% of Iran's #medical students are contemplating leaving the country while numerous esteemed professors from universities are also departing amidst these… pic.twitter.com/DHpK3FVkjT— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 4, 2024
This figure is more than a statistic—it represents a humanitarian emergency among a group expected to form the future backbone of Iran’s health care system. That those charged with safeguarding the health of others are themselves at high risk of psychological collapse speaks volumes about the scale of the problem.
Rising Suicide Rates: A National Trend
The crisis is not limited to medical students. Suicide in Iran has increased by more than 40% over the past decade, rising from roughly 3,500 to over 5,000 cases annually. This increase is especially pronounced among youth and the educated, for whom the daily pressures of life—economic hardship, social constraints, and political repression—are acutely felt.
A study by Tehran University of Medical Sciences found that 40.3% of students reported mild hopelessness, 25.4% moderate, and 4.6% severe. Yet the infrastructure for mental health care in Iranian universities remains grossly inadequate. A severe shortage of trained counselors and underfunded psychological services leave many students without the help they need.
#Iran News:
Increase in #Suicide Rates Among Medical Professionals Indicates A Growing Crisishttps://t.co/TGgvxSec6a— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 3, 2024
Structural Factors: Economic, Institutional, Political
Economic hardship is a key driver of despair. Medical students face enormous financial burdens—expensive education, unaffordable housing, inadequate nutrition, and limited dormitory space—all worsened by soaring inflation and rampant unemployment. Many struggle to envision a viable future, even after years of study and sacrifice.
Meanwhile, the Iranian university environment has grown increasingly repressive. Over the past few years, campuses have become militarized spaces, policed by security units and governed by censorship. The creative and social energies of students—particularly women—are stifled. Peaceful protests are met with surveillance, arrests, and even violence. During the nationwide protests of 2022, many students were detained, expelled, or physically assaulted, further intensifying the sense of fear and isolation.
The mismatch between academic qualifications and the job market also contributes to a deep sense of futility. Even medical graduates often struggle to find stable employment. The resulting frustration has driven many of Iran’s brightest minds to emigrate, weakening the country’s human capital and its scientific standing on the global stage.
#Iran News:
Rising Physician #Suicide Rates in Iran Amid Expert Exodushttps://t.co/CTDycm4045— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 8, 2024
A Profession in Peril: The Plight of Medical Residents
Perhaps the most acute manifestation of this crisis is among medical residents. Dr. Elaheh Jafarzadeh, an emergency medicine specialist at Baharloo Hospital, told the state-run Khabar Online: “The high workload, heavy responsibilities, inadequate pay, and lack of job security discourage residents from continuing. Resident suicides have become a full-blown crisis. Out of a population of 14,000 residents, we now see an average of 13 suicide deaths per year.”
The phenomenon became visible around 2019, following the suspicious death of Dr. Rasoul Ghaedi, a second-year orthopedic resident at Imam Khomeini Hospital. Since then, the medical community has endured at least two waves of resident suicides, the most recent of which saw three residents take their lives within days of each other in December 2023.
A recent survey by the Psychiatric Association of Iran, which studied the mental health of 253 psychiatric residents, confirmed that the psychological strain on medical professionals is far more severe than previously acknowledged. According to their findings, the suicide rate among doctors has increased by 3.1 to 5 times compared to the general population. Specifically, the suicide rate among male doctors has risen by 40%, and among female doctors by a staggering 130%.
Iran: Two Teenage Girls Commit Suicide Due to School Authorities’ Mistreatment https://t.co/jeWrvmk4tX pic.twitter.com/SrVwHJPRQa
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) November 12, 2024
Superficial Responses to a Deepening Crisis
The regime’s Ministry of Health claims to have prevented suicides among the 1,046 students with suicidal thoughts through interventions such as screenings, cultural tours, life skills training, and psychotherapy sessions. But these efforts—while necessary—are far from sufficient. By ignoring the deeper structural causes of this crisis—poverty, lack of job security, political repression—the government is applying a superficial bandage to a gaping wound.
The sheer number of students requiring therapy—40,000—speaks to a systemic collapse that can no longer be dismissed as isolated incidents or personal weaknesses. This is a crisis of national proportions, affecting the country’s most educated and promising youth.
A National Loss
Every suicide is a human tragedy, but when it becomes a pattern among society’s future doctors, it reflects a broader collapse of hope, purpose, and trust in institutions. The decline in mental health among medical students is a warning sign of a deeper rot within Iran’s social, political, and educational systems. If left unaddressed, it will result not only in personal loss, but in the erosion of Iran’s future.
Rising Suicide Rates Among Medical Students in Iran https://t.co/IpQ1r192qX
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) February 1, 2025
Iranian universities—once lively centers of intellectual freedom—have been reduced to zones of surveillance and control. The cost is already visible: rising suicide rates, mass emigration of the educated, and the alienation of an entire generation. This is another manifestation of the corrupt rule of the mullahs’ regime.