BENGALURU: It has taken 62-year-old Manjula (name changed), seven years to gather the courage to talk about a fateful day when she lost her husband, son, grandson and daughter-in-law in one swoop. Her husband, a businessman, was struggling with crippling debt and the family decided they had no option but to die.
Now, several years after surviving the suicide pact, Manjula has been undergoing continuous counselling at an institute in Shivamogga. “I saw the news recently of a businessman from Mysuru who shot his entire family and then himself. It felt like my own life just flashed in front of me. I could relate very well to the state of that family and the helplessness they would have gone through. There are many who need help across the state,” Manjula says in a shaky voice.
While businessmen running up debt is not a new phenomenon, the recent death of coffee baron V G Siddhartha followed by the Mysuru family’s suicide pact indicates new desperation from those staring at failure in their business ventures. In Siddhartha’s case, some people wonder why he would take the extreme step, still owning property worth crores and having the appreciation of lakhs of people across the country, but not every businessman has this to fall back on.
There are many ways in which financial circumstances work towards pushing a person to consider suicide as an option. Doctors at the National Institute of Mental Health And Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS) say long-term factors persistent poverty and financial insecurity are leading factors. “But there can also be sudden triggers such as ‘intimidating and threatening letters’ people receive from lenders,” explains Dr Girish, who has worked with several businessmen, on the verge of killing themselves.
Such letters, essential for credit companies to intimate their debtors in a way that is legal, also often include additional text, threatening in nature which could have an adverse effect on an individual. For example, a lender’s letter to debtors needs to include the following text in capitals and sent to the customer’s residential address:
“IF YOU DO NOT TAKE THE ACTION REQUIRED BY THIS NOTICE BEFORE THE DATESHOWN THEN THE FURTHER ACTION SET OUT BELOW MAY BE TAKEN AGAINST YOU [OR A SURETY],”
According to Chandrashekar N S, a senior advocate dealing with economic offences, the text is often preceded by threats of court action at the top of letters and embedded within longer statements featuring complex information about the individual’s debt. “For the men or women who can’t face this kind of intimidation, the first thought that comes is suicidal,” says Dr Priya Sreedaran of St John’s hospital.
“A law framed decades ago doesn’t just allow companies to use intimidating language when collecting debt, but nearly forces them to do so,” said money coach Sadiq N A. “The last thing those struggling with debts need is a bunch of nearly thuggish letters, in a language you can’t understand, threatening you with court action,” he explained.
Ashwini N V, Psychologist and Director of Muktha Foundation says financial loss or economic distress is one of the common risk factors for suicidal behaviour in general. In the context of businessmen and entrepreneurs, economic distress coupled with the fear of failure, perceived humiliation, a competitive environment, and resistance to acknowledge one’s emotional vulnerability and help-seeking behaviour can increase the risk of undiagnosed depression and suicidal behaviour.
Through the string of suicides runs a common thread. That of the businessmen apologising for being what they term ‘failures’. “I have failed in life, lost everything, I apologise to you all,” is the statement Om Prakash, the businessman from Mysore made to his aide Chetan Kumar. Meanwhile, Siddhartha in a purported letter to his board members penned similar lines, “I failed as an entrepreneur.”
Explaining this, Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson of Mpower-a Mental health organization said, “Entrepreneurs are high achievers with great self-expectations. So, when their business venture runs into trouble, it is only natural they go through bouts of extreme stress, which could lead to mental health issues like depression and/or anxiety disorders. They do not seek the support of family members or friends which is very important and think they will face it all alone.”
But family support might not be enough. One must not hesitate to seek professional help as Dr Sapna Bangar, psychiatrist, explains, “For some, just counselling may alleviate the issue; for some medication may be required; and for others, both may be necessary.”
Just a phone call away
Muktha trains community
Muktha Foundation,a Bangalore based Organisation Committed to Prevent Abuse and Promote Mental Health has a suicide prevention initiative called C.A.R.E. Project. It equips community members to identify warning signs of suicidal behaviour, connect with the person in risk, and encourage them to seek professional help to cope with their circumstance.
Call:088614 31673
SAHAI on call since 2002
A dedicated telephone helpline, SAHAI was started in October 2002 in response to the growing incidences of suicide in the city of Bangalore. The service was initiated with the assistance of NIMHANS, Rotary East and Medico Pastoral Association. Today it is a service provided by Medico Pastoral Association which is a psycho social rehabilitation centre for people with mental illness.
Call: 080 25497777
Aarogya Sahayavani offers help 24x7
People from any part of the state can call the helpline which also assists with health-related queries. The helpline works round the clock throughout the year. The helpline sees around 20,000 calls per day for various issues, including by those looking for some counselling. This is an initiative by the state government.
Call: 104