This news is shocking and sad — just today, a man killed his wife, their five young children, then shot himself, after the couple have been fired from their jobs. The couple apparently agreed that it’s the best way out of the financial mess.
Dig deeper and other similar incidents will be found. In October 2008, an unemployed worker who was “despondent over financial problems shot and killed his wife, his three children, his mother-in-law and himself”.
There’s no doubt that financial problems lead to suicides is a source of concern. And in this time that recession has hit many countries (including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan) and has affected those which are not officially in a state of recession, finance-related suicides become a major source of concern.
The US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline lists the following as symptoms of a potential suicide:
* Threatening to hurt or kill oneself or talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself
* Looking for ways to kill oneself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means
* Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide when these actions are out of the ordinary for the person
* Feeling hopeless
* Feeling rage or uncontrolled anger or seeking revenge
* Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities – seemingly without thinking
* Feeling trapped – like there’s no way out
* Increasing alcohol or drug use
* Withdrawing from friends, family, and society
* Feeling anxious, agitated, or unable to sleep or sleeping all the time
* Experiencing dramatic mood changes
* Seeing no reason for living or having no sense of purpose in life
A study indicates a lower suicide rate of Filipinos, attributed partly to the “available extended family and social support system”. Some smart aleck would probably say that the recent financial crunch won’t have much impact on us Filipinos because we’ve endured difficulties, financial or otherwise, for such a long time now. However, this is not a reason to take the impact of financial crisis for granted. Let’s keep a close watch on our friends and loved ones.
