Cracking under stress

Interview with Gita Menon, clinical psychologist.

THE Chennai-based veteran clinical psychologist Gita Menon, in this interview, points to the psychological problems that haunt garment industry workers and their kin in Tirupur. Excerpts:

There have been reports in the press about a large number of suicides and attempts to commit suicide in Tirupur district. Are the figures alarming? What are the factors that push these people to the brink?

Whether it is suicide attempt or suicide, these figures are alarming. The stress factors for women and men can be extremely different. The exploitation of young girls might be one of the major reasons why they attempt suicide, which is a call for help.

Stress in very many forms can lead to suicide attempts. From the reports we can imagine the stress these people are going through, beginning with restrictions in movement. And, probably the very primitive conditions they live in, the lack of even basic comforts and the supervision of these people even when they go out shopping, and so on. That is very big stress.

There is major financial exploitation if they are paid only this very small amount and there is no commitment on the part of the employer, either legal commitment or any other, to settle their dues if they have to leave before the conclusion of the contract period. That insecurity is a persistent factor throughout their stay there. Obviously, they will be communicating with people who are senior to them especially girls do so and they might come to know that the promised amount may not always materialise.

So, apart from the physical restrictions, there is also financial exploitation. Both these can amount to very severe stress in the working area and that can definitely lead to suicide attempts.

Is money alone the factor behind the suicide attempts?

Money itself may not be the main reason here. There are other factors, such as the experiences of others in a similar situation which have been traumatic, and at the impressionable age of between 15 and 19 the girls can become mortally frightened of what lies ahead. That may be the reason why they don't think twice about quitting and not wanting to return. Part of it is their own experience, part of it is the experiences of others, which have been communicated to them.

In this age group there may be impulsive kinds of suicides also. Suppose a supervisor or floor manager abuses them in front of others, or they are called out at night for sexual exploitation, or so on, they could take sudden decisions not thought out earlier. This may be an impulsive decision, to put an end to it all. It may or may not be successful, but they want just to put an end to life. The various kinds of stresses often result in feelings of worthlessness, helplessness and in many cases hopelessness. These three conditions can result in depression.

Can very difficult working conditions such as long hours of work result in depression?

Long working hours, especially for girls who have psychological problems associated with their menstrual cycles on the one hand and are forced to stand for long hours as part of their work on the other, can produce extreme physical exhaustion and stress.

Stress can be in the form of financial stress, physical stress and emotional stress. If they don't have recreation or anything like that to look forward to after the long working hours, obviously they are subjected to acute stress. Stress as such can lead to feelings of helplessness and ultimately force them to take the extreme step or at least attempt it. It is not a planned thing. It is a spur of the moment thing. So, it could only be an impulse.

According to reports, premarital and unsafe sex is prevalent in Tirupur. Even official sources have admitted this fact

There is a lot of deprivation in these kinds of places. They are all in that young, sexually active age group and there is no recreation, no sports and no other activities. There is quite a lot of pent-up feelings and if at all these men and women come together, there is an opportunity for unsafe sex. They do not think twice about it and face the consequences such as pregnancy. If medical termination does not become possible, their continuation in the workplace is threatened. In such a difficult situation, the helplessness in dealing with it can lead to suicide. The absence of a family itself throws these people into these situations. First of all, they are too young to deal with these situations. There is no emotional support and they don't have anybody to talk to. The persons they are interacting with were also subjected to the same stress. So the interactions are all negative and there is no opportunity for these people to be guided properly, not to speak of counselling, which has to be done professionally. Even the guidance that is available in a family may not be available for them.

Is there any link between suicides and depression? There are more men than women among the victims.

There is a strong link between suicides and depression and between suicides and mood disorders on the whole. But how many of them are being diagnosed? Is any help made available to them? That is difficult to say.

Why the number of men is much larger than women among the victims is probably because men bear the brunt of repaying loans, bear the burden of life on the whole, and are responsible for the family.

Women on the whole, especially those in the younger age groups, there may be more attempts when they cry for help rather than successful suicides. The presence of children is a restricting factor for women. Very often women say, I would have committed suicide but for the fact I have a small child. They slash the wrists, and so on to call attention to the fact that they are desperate. But the community around them or their men must read the significance of that and help.

According to sources, usury is prevalent in the town. Can this drive people, more particularly small and medium entrepreneurs, to suicide?

Inability to repay a debt, just as in the case of the farmers of Maharashtra, it is possible. The situation drives them to despair and thereafter to suicide.

Here also the entrepreneur probably starts with a lot of enthusiasm to set the business going. However, when every successive attempt is a failure and he is in a situation where he is unable to clear the debt and finds no other way out, he can't withstand the pressure it produces. This could be a factor in his decision to commit suicide.

How can a change be brought about in the situation before it turns from bad to worse?

First of all, working conditions have to improve. We have talked about stress related to the money they are given and to the exploitation.

At every stage, correctional methods have to be adopted. To start with, the departments concerned and the NGOs that take up the causes of the garment workers should address issues such as restricted mobility and the physical stress factors of girls and boys.

Secondly, they should focus on complaints of extended working hours and the physical strain on the workers because of that, especially girls, and the health hazards resulting from that. They also have to address the medical treatment available to workers.

Because of the extremely stressful conditions in garment units and spinning and ginning units there can be early burnout for girls, even before they are 30, and for men definitely by 40, after which they don't know what to do. They will just go back to where they came from. This is a very sad thing.

The government must take note of this and, through NGOs, take up some rehabilitation measures.