Many women fail to seek help

Fear of damaging image, stigma about consulting psychiatrists make many suffer in silence

help? There are incidents where they do not even seek help from the police. While the police say that there are so many factors that prevent them from speaking out, they also believe that in certain cases, the allegations made against husband and in-laws are proved false.

In the case of Ramya, she could not get a job due to the long break after her last job and Rajashekar could not get a job that matched his background. As a result both became jobless and soon differences arose between them. Suddenly one day, Ramya attempted suicide, but survived. After Ramya's suicidebid, her family started blaming Rajashekar of physical abuse and dowry harassment

Senior cops say in some cases, there is harassment from the husband, but the parents do not approach the police or counsellors. “Often the victims do not come out. Main thing is lack of support from the family, family image and fear of ruining the marriage. Instead they approach elders to settle the issue”, a senior police official said. “In half the cases, parents of the woman level allegations against the husband and in-laws, which are proved false. There are times when husbands and their families are made scapegoats”, said another senior police official.

Note: All names in the report have been changed. In less than a month, three women techies committed suicides in the city. Experts say that in addition to work stress, women hold back from speaking against dowry harassment because of social taboo. She also fears that if she is depressed and seeks treatment, she will be branded as mentally unsound.

IT companies are now providing marital counseling as well as training in dealing with marital issues. But compared to technical trainings, there are few takers for family sessions.

Mr Sandeep Makthala from Telangana Information Technology Association said that it is not only domestic abuse that techies are facing, but also difficulty at work places. “If both husband and wife are employed in IT sector, there are chances of differences leading to such incidents. They should make use of the trainings organised by their employers not only to boost their career options, but also for their family and personal wellbeing”, he said.

Senior psychiatrist Dr Preeti Swaroop said, “People in IT think they are smart enough to work out their issues and do not need help. Therefore companies should take initiative and arrange seminars and stress relieving therapies and conduct camps to help the employees.”

There are also various kinds of professional help being offered. A few clinics are offering services on phone where a person can seek guidance on the phone. “Once they approach a counsellor, a crisis intervention happens, after which the pressing issue to take a final step like suicide gets postponed. The patient and counselor can work together and arrive at a solution,” added Dr Swaroop.

But it is also a fact that increasing suicides have shaken the IT community. In a postgraduate CME conducted in Hyderabad recently, around 200 postgraduates participated. Perhaps it is a sign of changing times.