Citys mental health professionals on dealing with people with suicidal thoughts, how to identify signs and help them

By Anushree Vijaya Harshan It seemed apt to quote Friedrich Nietzsche here. This above quote was shared by the late Sushant Singh Rajput on the birth anniversary of the German philosopher few months ago. On Sunday, the actor seemed to have lost the why, when he decided to end his life by suicide.

Rajputs death was probably the most unanticipated one. After all, who could have expected a person, whom we saw talk his reel son out of suicidal thoughts in his last film (Chhichhore), to commit suicide in real life?

As reports on the actors battle with clinical depression started doing the rounds, people didnt hesitate to link his death to depression, also linking his cover picture on Twitter of Vincent van Goghs popular work The Starry Night, which the artist had painted in an asylum.

He had committed suicide the next year. As speculations became rife, Mirror spoke to mental health professionals to get a clearer picture on suicide and its link with depression.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Vishwamohan Thakur believes there are multiple reasons which could lead to one taking the extreme step. He says, Depression is not the only reason. For instance, people facing deep financial woes take their life for respite from their sorrows. There are also those who fear getting exposed or ones who feel they are not being understood and do not have enough support.

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how

- Friedrich Nietzsche

They feel it is their only way to end the pain. A solution is not they are looking for, they just want to end it all, instead of seeking help. Decoding pathological grief

Another aspect brought to notice was the late actors last social media post, a heartfelt note to his mother whom he lost when he was just 16, in 2002. The actor has often spoken about his great loss. Hadnt he come to terms with it? Dr Thakur explains, If a person is bereaved for more than six months, we call it pathological grief, the signs of which are obvious. It is really unlikely for such a person to become so successful as they are usually dysfunctional.

One should not confuse remembrance with grief. The actor didnt show signs of pathological grief, so I dont think that acted as a trigger.

Varghese, on the other hand, believes grief is a very difficult emotion to cope with, especially if you arent putting conscious efforts to come out of it. So, it can stay in your unconscious mind and later trigger suicidal thoughts. But it might not be the case here.

Voices

But then there are also people who dont share their feelings. Varghese says, Everyone has their way of coping, and some do it by wearing facades. They dont want sympathy and wish to deal with things on their own. This could sometimes prove unhealthy. They might not talk about it, but if you observe well, their body language would reveal their loneliness. Check up on them often and dont make statements like It is all in your head, There is nothing wrong with you, You do not look anxious or depressed, etc. Talk to them, and more importantly, listen to what they are saying. Though professional help is always the best, in Ahmedabad, sadly, people are not quite open about mental health. In that case, one should reach out to friends if not family.

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Listen to them & understand them' - Ahmedabad Mirror