World Suicide Prevention Day: Suicide is Not a You Problem

On World Suicide Prevention Day, Deccan Chronicle explores why the onus of suicide is placed on the individual, how it is more psychosocial than biological, and the need for thorough redressal systems in conversation with psychotherapist and founder of Creative Care Psychotherapy, Shreya Banerjee.

Many times, suicide is seen as the easy way out, but that is barely the case. It is a step taken out of extreme helplessness. “Most people with suicidal thoughts are disconnected from their environment because they experience such intense thoughts, can barely get any work done, and are unable to maintain social relationships,” the psychotherapist says.

“Where the norm is to be consistent, they fall through and then are held responsible for being left behind and not staying synchronised with the rest of the world.” Over time, a person loses motivation because they cannot relate to the world around them.

Within society, emotions like anger, sadness and jealousy are shunned. Shreya explains, “So much of our social life is built on these expectations around being cheerful; we don’t allow people who are occupied in different emotional states and deny their validity.” Happiness is perceived as the goal, and when people are unable to perform joy and wellness, they start to feel like a burden to themselves and society at large.

The psychotherapist further elaborates, “The implicit message that goes out to every mentally ill person is that their illness has to be a short-term problem. If you’re sick for a longer period of time, then people give up on you. There is an underlying expectation to fix themselves, so those who are suicidal prefer to stay withdrawn instead of carrying that silent disappointment.”

But suicide is not as biological as it is psychosocial. “There are some people who have a strong genetic component, and their suicidal ideation can be purely biological, but that's quite rare,” the psychotherapist notes. “Suicide is usually measured under assessment of a mental disorder, but it is mostly so that people are suicidal because there is a threat to their livelihood.”

Especially in current times, when the rising cost of living requires people to work extremely hard to make ends meet, there is a sense of overwhelm. Growing concerns of layoffs, deportation, climate change, discrimination, etc. also create an existential crisis, an impending sense of doom towards the future that leaves individuals feeling helpless.

So, rather than an illness, being suicidal is a state of dis-ease caused by external factors.

“If we want to prevent suicide, we have to prevent helplessness,” Shreya Banerjee asserts. From childhood to adulthood, systemic factors like bullying, competition, etc. in school, college, and work demand more and more from individuals while their supply of energy depletes. Although the primary cause for suicide varies and is largely out of a person’s control, the secondary cause, i.e., lack of connection, is preventable. The psychotherapist suggests remedies for both institutions and individuals, “Every institution should have a thorough redressal system around bullying, sexual harassment, inclusiveness, etc., and at least 20-30 mental health professionals to take care of mental health, not just suicide management. It’s also the need of the hour for parents to be equipped to deal with mental health crises and build an open, non-judgemental relationship for their child to address their concerns.”

It is also important for the community to not take withdrawal personally but to find ways to connect with the person, lend a listening ear and gently bring attention to their isolation, without pressuring them to get better soon. There is no timeline on mental health; it’s a journey, and everyone takes a different amount of time to heal.

This article is authored by Tejasree Kallakrinda, interning with Deccan Chronicle.