Never say die: City's suicide helplines quick and ready

Bengaluru has the second highest suicide rate among Indian cities. Spurned love and stress caused by exams are the prime reasons in the city for people to contemplate suicide, according to counsellors.

Many voluntary organisations provide counselling over the phone. Metrolife called some numbers to see how quickly they respond to distress calls. Here's what we found:

Sahai

080 2549 7777
10 am to 8 pm

This is the helpline listed officially by the Bengaluru police. Its helpline is operational from Monday to Saturday.

It takes repeated attempts to get through on working days, while on Saturdays, calls mostly go to an answering machine.

The volunteers are helpful and sympathetic. They lend a patient ear, what most people need in such a suicidal situation.

Says Akku, Sahai coordinator: "Each day we have three or four volunteers with a two to three hour slot each. Our 21 volunteers come to work at least once a week."

The volunteers are professionally qualified-with training from recognised counselling centres.

"We also have in-house training, which is a 40-hour course followed by practicals," he says.

The conversations sometimes affect volunteers, and counselling centres keep that in mind.

"Counsellors need to destress once in a while. We have a supervisor with whom they can discuss their problems. Most counselling centres have a person like this," says Akku.

People contemplating suicide prefer phone helplines to face-to-face counselling. "It is anonymous. Even if callers don't want to give their names, it's okay," he says.

Many in distress don't have friends, or are wary of talking about their innermost feelings with anyone known to them.

That's because callers are scared of being judged, he explains. "Our volunteers are trained to be non-judgemental and that makes a big difference," Akku says.

Most callers are between 19 and 30.

Spandana

080 6500 0222
Round the clock

An initiative of the Spandana group of hospitals, the 24/7 helpline is quick to respond to calls.

Surprisingly, it is managed by just one counsellor, Dhanalakshmi, and she has been at it for five years.
"This landline number is actually connected to a mobile I carry with me all the time," she says.

Dhanalakshmi is a psychologist and has a daily routine in that capacity, but is always ready to help those in distress.

"Some days, I get five or six calls. Sometimes it is zero calls in a full week. Calls mostly increase during exam time and come between 3 and 4 am,"
she says.

Working professionals, sexually abused women, those spurned in love, and school children as young as 10 call her.

"Cases of people breaking up after being in a live-in relationship are on the rise in Bengaluru," she says.

Sampurna

080 2528 5555

An initiative of  Sampurna Montfort College, a counselling institute, the helpline is handled by a professional counsellor from 9 am to 5 pm and by volunteers at night.

The volunteers comprise 30 students studying at the college. The helpline responds quickly.

CHENNAI WORST  AFFECTED

35.5per lakh among youth is the suicide rate in India, and it  is the highest in the world. Chennai has the most number  of suicides in the country, followed by Bengaluru. (The last  available numbers are from 2012.)

Service in time  saves lives

Callers are desperate  for help, and a quick  response can make  a difference. When calling, a patient is still  not completely into the idea of  committing suicide. While suicidal thoughts are common,  people who call have crossed  a line. Frustrations related to work, personal life, inability to  cope with stress and failure,  and drug addiction are some reasons pushing people  towards suicidal thoughts. The most common reason is relationship failure. Endogenous  depression (caused by a stressor within the body) doesn't even need a specific  trigger or cause.

DR RAVI PRAKASH,
Psychiatrist

What are callers worried about?

Spurned love
Relationship failure
Anxiety over exams
Stress at the workplace
Sexual abuse