• Financial issues and marital and relationship issues have been identified as two leading factors that lead to suicidal thoughts and attempts
• Many people tend to take loans from third parties at high interest rates to settle the loan they have obtained from a financial institution
• Therefore they have to pay a huge loan than what they have to pay
• Anger, frustration and stress eventually lead to domestic violence as people are unable to find another outlet to vent their emotions. Here they find a weaker person to harass either verbally or physically
• There’s a spike in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, exam stress, self-harm and attempts to commit suicide among youth and adolescents

Feelings of uncertainty following the COVID-19 pandemic and worsening financial issues amidst the prevailing economic crisis have made many people lose hope in their lives. An estimated 703,000 people around the world take their own lives every year. ‘Creating Hope Through Actions’ is a triennial theme for World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) from 2021 to 2023. The theme signifies the collective effort that every individual should put in so as to address the urgent public health issue. Sri Lanka Sumithrayo was established with the primary objective of preventing suicides in the country providing emotional support for anyone who has lost hope in life by listening and befriending and has served for over 40 years. As a pioneer charitable organisation, Sri Lanka Sumithrayo commemorated WSPD with the theme ‘Staying connected in challenging times’. 

 Tips to resolve financial issues 

 Based on calls received by Sri Lanka Sumithrayo over the past few months, financial issues and marital and relationship issues have been identified as two leading factors that lead to suicidal thoughts and attempts. Regarding financial issues, one of the main concerns is the inability to repay loans obtained by either a bank, a finance company or a third party. People lost their jobs at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and they were unable to pay back loans. But if you’re unable to settle a loan you should be able to go to the financial institution, discuss your difficulties and explain your situation to them. “Keeping quiet won’t help. There are ways in which you could extend the period of loans, reduce instalments or reschedule your loan by reducing the interest rate,” said Attorney-at-Law Nirodha Kalansooriya. 

 But, on the contrary, many people tend to take loans from third parties at high interest rates to settle the loan they have obtained from a financial institution. Therefore they have to pay a huge loan than what they have to pay. Third parties often obtain a deed of transfer without a mortgage. In other words, you have transferred the property. “Even though you don’t have bargaining power at that point you can ask them about the document you have been given to sign. You need money and you will not ask about the document. This is one mistake that people make. Some are unable to provide a statement of income to the bank and therefore they obtain loans from third parties.  They sign certain documents and most people don’t understand the contents of these documents since they contain a lot of legal jargon. These are lengthy documents and the font sizes are small. Therefore you don’t feel like reading them at all. If you are unable to read what is in these documents you should ask the other person to read it out. You should ask them to tell you about the interest rates because you are entitled to that right. Once you sign the agreement you can’t say that you have not signed,” she warned further.

 Guarantors also face multiple issues in the event the borrower defaults. In most instances, you sign as a guarantor to help out a friend but Kalansooriya advised people against signing as guarantors if they are unaware of what the other person is going to do with that money. “When you are an employee you are restricted from signing as a guarantor. If you are compelled to sign as a guarantor you should first read the document and ask the officer at the financial institution about the purpose for this person to obtain the loan. The guarantor becomes responsible from the day he receives the letter of demand because the principal borrower has defaulted.”

 Unauthorised leasing companies could do more harm than good in this situation. Authorised entities should possess a certificate issued by the Central Bank mentioning that they are being registered. Most authorised companies are in fact fake. Leasing companies also tend to seize assets when the borrower is unable to repay loans. But Kalansooriya said this should be done with the consent of the owner. “If the person hasn’t given his consent then the company has to file action first and inform the Police in order to maintain law and order. Otherwise they are committing an offence by taking vehicles owned by other people. Some banks and financial institutions are not customer friendly. This is because they become very rigid when they feel that you’re unable to pay the loan because if one bank collapses, all other banks would collapse and this is why they are so rigid in that sense. But on the other hand, you have the right to safeguard yourselves,” she further said. 

 Another solution is to sell your vehicle for instance in order to settle the loan and in this case, there would be a balance as well. But instead, people ask the leasing companies to take their vehicles. The companies then sell these vehicles at a lesser price. “If the company has filed action against you, go to courts with a lawyer and settle the loan in courts,” Kalansooriya advised further.

 Getting over grief 

 In most instances, people are unable to bear the loss of a loved one. Once in grief, they experience various stages of this loss as explained by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Grief is an involuntary reaction to loss and the stages experienced include denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. “From refusal to accept the loss of a loved one which is a huge issue when it comes to relationships to feelings of disbelief accompanied with a psychological numbness to anger which is either directed inwards or outwards to various forms of bargaining – either from counselling point of view or through religious activities to battling depression and accepting and adjusting to the loss, counsellors have a major role to play in guiding people through these stages until the acceptance stage,” said consultant psychiatrist Dr. Neil Fernando. 

 Youth and adolescents and their vulnerabilities

 Youth and adolescents are another vulnerable group that needs attention during these challenging times. Due to the prevailing uncertainty, children seem to be refusing to go to school and dropout rates among students in O/L and A/L classes are on the rise. Some children are unable to attend virtual classes and they tend to seek alternative modes of employment. “There’s a spike in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, exam stress, self-harm and attempts to commit suicide among youth and adolescents,” opined Child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Dharshani Hettiarachchi. “Most youths attend counselling clinics with medically unexplained somatic symptoms. For example, they say they have a stomach ache but we cannot find any issues with a scan. What they really have is a mental health issue. Screen addiction and addiction to internet games are other issues among youth. Alcohol abuse and engaging in related activities is also prevalent among the youth. They also experience more incidents of domestic violence, mental and sexual harassment and exploitation. There’s a rise in teenage pregnancies as well. They develop a relationship, engage in intimate affairs and end up in a pregnancy. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) hotline has three services – 1926 voice helpline which operates 24/7, the second service is the 1926 SMS helpline which is available from 8-4 pm, the newly introduced 0755551926 WhatsApp helpline has been targeted at the youth to encourage them to access mental health services.”

Domestic violence: A silent killer 

Anger, frustration and stress eventually lead to domestic violence as people are unable to find another outlet to vent their emotions. Here they find a weaker person to harass either verbally or physically. “Domestic violence includes a victim and his or her spouse, intimate partner, immediate or extended family,” explained attorney-at-law Amal Randeniya while stressing that domestic violence isn’t only confined to a house. “People also ask what could be done if there are issues between a girlfriend and boyfriend and such issues can be resolved using provisions in the Penal Code. If a father is harassing children a conditional protection order can be issued by courts, restricting him from going to the house or restricting him to the living room without allowing him to go into a room. One of the main reasons for domestic violence is financial issues. Three out of five families miss one meal a day to make ends meet. Therefore the breadwinner tends to vent his anger on his spouse or children.”

 Randeniya further said that victims are reluctant to seek legal support since there’s a norm that what happens at home should remain at home. Another issue is that victims run to the Police when they face these issues. But the police are not trained to do grief counselling. Officers at the Women and Children’s desk aggravate the issue further. Male police officers end up stalking women who come seeking help. We therefore don’t send women alone unless they are accompanied by a lawyer. Therefore one problem has led to the other and they opt for easy ways of escaping these issues including suicide,” he added.