‘Families take drastic steps from belief that situation is irretrievable’
Times of India | 20 February 2025
Kolkata: A deep sense of social shame or a dire financial crisis tends to drive multiple members of a family to suicide, said psychiatrists and psychologists. Such suicide pacts are formed after the family starts believing that the situation is irretrievable and that life could only get worse from there, leading to an agony they feel they won't be able to bear.
Referring to the alleged death by suicide of three family members of an east Kolkata family on Tuesday, Apollo Hospital psychiatrist Jai Ranjan Ram said such suicide pacts are usually preceded by a period of ‘darkness' in the family. This occurs when the senior members find themselves entangled in a financial or social mess that leaves them completely overwhelmed. "They reach a point when a solution seems impossible. Then, they brood over it and start feeling helpless. What follows is depression and a feeling of intense distress that leads them to isolation. This is usually the tipping point, the period when the family cuts itself off and rules out the possibility of seeking help," said Ram.
He added that this is when the senior members, who are at the forefront of the crisis, convince the others to die by suicide.
Suicide pacts within a family often stem from extreme stress, financial burdens, emotional distress, or societal pressures, said psychologist Soumya Mukherjee. "These incidents reflect a profound sense of helplessness and interdependence, where individuals believe that ending their lives together is the only escape," said Mukherjee. If even one family member stays strong, this doesn't happen, she added.
Charnock Hospital consultant psychologist Ankita Biswas Mitra agreed. "It's important to reach out for help before the family gets isolated. One should not rule out a solution and discuss it with friends or even neighbours. But in extreme cases like these, families let the trouble fester and allow it to reach a point where a solution looks impossible," she said.