SUICIDE IN THE WORKPLACE
Listening to highly stressed executives can revive their lust for life
Powerlessness to change one’s circumstances to end suffering and pain often leads to suicide attempts — not a wish to die
In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, a 19th century novella by Leo Tolstoy, is this: "It is as if I had been going downhill, while I imagined I was going up. And that is really what it was. I was going up in public opinion, but to the same extent life was ebbing away from me. And now it is all done and there is only death." These could just as easily be lines from the suicide note of a corporate executive in the modern world. Stress can lead to suicide, as was the case when at least 19 people took their lives at France Telecom during massive retrenchments that happened in 2008 and 2009. "Stress can be defined as the physiological and psychological response of any person seeking to adapt or adjust to internal and external pressures or demands," says psychiatrist Dr Frans Korb. "It can lead to burnout and to psychiatric illness, including depression, anxiety, insomnia and substance abuse." While Korb’s recent study considered workplace depression as a whole, he believes that people in top pos...
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