Listening to highly stressed executives can revive lust for life
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 positions attract high levels of stress.
“Depression can lead to suicide if not managed adequately,” he says.
“And if there are not adequate programmes in place for highlevel positions, this will lead to high levels of stress, burnout and psychiatric disorders.
“An awareness of stress, burnout and depression in the workplace is thus essential, together with training in stress management tools and techniques,” he says.
Sometimes, the pressure to perform can inspire greater results. But when ongoing “bad stress” leaves employees feeling that the demands placed on them outweigh the practical or emotional resources they have available, the result is psychological or emotional strain.
“Stressful events on their own do not necessarily lead to one attempting suicide,” says counselling psychologist Tamara Zanella. “However, they can be a contributing factor in negative thinking, low mood, burnout and depression.
“Psychiatric, psychological and biologic factors could predispose a person to suicidal behaviour, while stressful life events interact with such factors to increase risk. This is why suicidal behaviours are often preceded by stressful events.”
Zanella says burnout can negatively affect every aspect of functioning — work and personal life. When people feel constantly powerless about being able to change their circumstances, it becomes easy to feel frustrated, demotivated, undervalued and overwhelmed.
“If left untreated, there is a risk that the individual could suffer from depression,” she says. “Depression is associated with an increased risk for suicide, so one needs to be mindful of the impact that ongoing stress and burnout at work can have.”
There are several reasons why people might consider suicide. Many who survived an attempt will say that they did not necessarily want to die, but felt that there was no hope of changing their circumstances and that to take their own life was the only way to end their suffering and pain.
“Thoughts of suicide can be best understood as a means of transmitting a ‘message’ or as a need for escape,” says clinical psychologist Dr Colinda Linde. “These thoughts can be transient and dismissed from the mind in someone who is not suffering from depression or burnout. For example, if you wake up tired after a week of deadlines and too little sleep thinking ‘I just want to lie here and sleep forever’, this could be seen as an urge to escape. Thoughts like these are a common feature of being in the modern workplace.
“If they are transient as well as reactive after a high stress period, they will often resolve. It is when they become a repeating theme and when they accompany signs of depression that they become a danger.”
Linde says burnout and depression tend to develop over time, which can make their symptoms hard to detect until they are acute. Burnout — which is associated with negative moods, fatigue and cynicism — often slides into depression and these feelings and thoughts seep into the sufferer’s entire life.
Depression shrinks a person’s world. It becomes hard to focus on meaningful activities or close relationships and there is little hope that life will improve in the future. This is when thoughts of a permanent escape become real and a person may consider suicide.
“Paradoxically, people who are seriously planning suicide are often not likely to talk about it or outwardly threaten to take their lives,” Linde says.
“In fact, when a depressed person has made a decision to end their pain, they often appear to be in a good mood and can be quite upbeat.
“Their thinking is impaired to an extreme point so they can only see that this plan will end their unhappiness, but not what it will mean for those left behind. There is little rational thought or logic, and cognitive distortions can even make them believe it is for the greater good.”
It is important to pay attention to any signs that could signal suicidal thinking and planning in someone who appears burnt out or depressed. For example, if someone becomes socially withdrawn, gives away special possessions or is clearly in a low or agitated mood for two to four weeks or more, it is important to watch and listen.
“They may not directly say they are suicidal, but comments like ‘the world would be a better place without me’ or regular self-deprecation like ‘I’m such an idiot’ or ‘I can’t get anything right’ may be clues that they are depressed to the point of considering escape via suicide,” Linde says.
“In the case of burnout, there may only be impaired performance and exhaustion, but there are thoughts and comments that will be significant and cause for alarm. For example, if someone would like to be in an accident or have a serious health issue just to have a rest from work – and I have heard both of these many times – it is a serious signal of burnout having developed into depression,” she says.
The experts suggest that leaders of organisations should be educated about the signs of depression and burnout. While human resources managers and CEOs cannot be expected to be aware of how all employees are feeling, team members are more likely to notice if there is a sudden change in behaviour.
“When people work in silos, it is easier for burnout and depression to creep in unnoticed or for a crisis to cause implosion due to lack of real or perceived support,” Linde says.
“That’s why regular catchups, even when there is high pressure and it seems like a waste to have a two-minute chat, are helpful. This provides a sense of hope that there is a person who hears you and could help when you feel stuck.”