Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar

Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar, MBBS, DPM, Ph.D, FRCP (Edin), FRC Psych (Hon), is a highly respected psychiatrist with over 45 years of experience. She is the founder of SNEHA, a pioneering NGO in Chennai dedicated to the prevention of suicide. Since 1982, she has been serving as the Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Voluntary Health Services (VHS), Adyar, Chennai. Dr. Vijayakumar is a member of the World Health Organization’s International Network for Suicide Research and Prevention and serves as an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

She has been conferred the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych), U.K., and FRCP (Edinburgh) in recognition of her remarkable contributions to suicide prevention. She was awarded the prestigious Ringel Service Award by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in June 2015. Notably, IASP has instituted the Lakshmi Vijayakumar Rising Star Award in her honor—making her the only mental health professional from India to receive such a distinction.

Dr. Vijayakumar has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, authored numerous book chapters, and edited two books, with her work available in both Tamil and English.