New Delhi, Jan. 5: Depression levels and suicidal thoughts declined across rural households in 30 villages in Vidarbha, India’s epicentre for farm suicides, after a mental health experiment that its proponents say illustrates a new measure to curb suicides in rural communities. The experiment, called the Vidarbha Stress and Health Programme and implemented in Maharashtra’s Amravati district, appeared to pull down the prevalence of suicidal thoughts from 5.2 per cent to 2.5 per cent in 18 months, researchers said yesterday.