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WOMEN OF THE WEEK

A friend in need

Suicide can be averted if emotional support is available to those who contemplate it, says Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar of SNEHA

LENDING A SYMPATHETIC EAR Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar

Soon it will be June and time for academic results. For two weeks around it, volunteers at SNEHA, the centre for suicide prevention in Chennai, will take calls 24/7 which they normally do from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder/trustee of SNEHA, believes that suicide, that life-threatening issue, can be resolved if emotional support is available to those who contemplate it.

Dr. Lakshmi's resume tells you how much prevention of self-inflicted death has been part of her life. She took an MBBS from Madras University, a PG Diploma in Psychological Medicine from IMH, Madras and wrote a thesis on "risk factors for suicides in India" for a doctorate. She is HOD of Psychiatry at VHS, Adyar, is available for consultancy at Rajam Nursing Home, West Mambalam, and is founder/director of Anugraha Research and Rehab Centre. In the twenty years since SNEHA opened, scores of people have put down their phones or walked out of its gates with renewed belief that life is worth living. A grateful society and admiring institutions have honoured her with several awards.

Suicide prevention outfits across the globe, from the Carter Centre in Atlanta to the one in Beijing to WHO's international network, have sought Dr. Lakshmi's advice on aspects of suicide research. She was the first Asian vice president of the International Association for Suicide Prevention and has published scores of expert papers on the subject. Important gatherings on suicidology around the world carry her name on the invitation. She has conducted counselling workshops in several countries on behalf of Befrienders' International, to which SNEHA is affiliated. Well, what she doesn't know about suicides in India probably isn't worth knowing.

Social problem

Why this obsession with suicide? "I stood first in medicine in Madras University in 1978," she said. "I thought, beyond a point, medicine is just liver, lungs and heart. I was intrigued by the mind. I meandered into psychiatry." Among the disorders of the mind, depression, though common, went undiagnosed and untreated and there weren't many great treatment opportunities for mental illness in Chennai. "I saw it as a social problem."

In the U.K. she found a model for suicide prevention run by lay people. She would start one, never mind if Chennai's conservative folk were sceptical that an organisation run on volunteer help would work. "The first few days of SNEHA were difficult. I had to clean up this building unused for 10 years, put in the infrastructure."

Preventable

"Suicide is never a surprise," she said firmly. "It is a multi-dimensional malaise with social, religious, cultural reasons, alcoholism or personality disorder. Of course, 10 per cent suffer intense psychological pain and are committed to end their lives. Some are ambivalent and go through the seesaw battle of "to do or not to do". But the majority send out clear signals about their intention. They are driven by a triad of emotions — loneliness, helplessness and hopelessness. It is preventable since there is process time between thought and action." Is it cowardice or bravery? "Ha, that is a million dollar question."

What do SNEHA's volunteers do? "They hold a mirror to the candidate's state of mind. SNEHA is the only organisation that has not shut its doors even a single day for 20 years, through famine, floods and Rajiv Gandhi's assassination." But there is a flipside to this volunteer effort. Volunteers are not available for long hours and the humane quality they need is often elusive. Out of the 200-odd that apply, 6 or 7 qualify. She also needs other support like publicity and funding.

Working with schools

What is she up to now? Busy constructing the new SNEHA premises in R. A. Puram, which will be linked to Royapettah Hospital. She is involved in the Geneva-based pesticide suicide prevention issue and has writing assignments for book chapters. Dr. Lakshmi works regularly with schools and colleges. "In India, 35 per cent of suicides are among people under 30. Students are the most vulnerable emotionally." She believes the rate might go up. "We get 20 to 30 calls a day. Unlike in other disabilities, what we give here is sublime."

It's life at the end of the line. So why doesn't SNEHA have a four-digit emergency number put down as part of essential services? "I have applied for it," she smiled.

Talk to her in her breezy, antique furniture-filled living room and you understand the validity of her work. As she listens, she's uncritical, doesn't agree or disagree, just pays intent attention and answers in a pleasant, even voice. You feel you are talking to a friend, without fear of being judged. "I accept people unconditionally," she said, "and the long experience counts."

GEETA PADMANABHAN

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