Real Depression Can Be Very Dangerous

You may have read in the newspapers, or heard on the news, that the French Labour Minister Xavier Darcos is to meet the head of France Telecom to talk about the number of suicides among the Company’s staff.

There have been 23 suicides of France Telecom staff so far this year. The latest occurred last Friday when a 32-year-old woman leapt to her death at a France Telecom office in Paris – and there have been two abortive attempts since then. Last Wednesday, a 49-year-old man stuck a knife into his own stomach during a meeting in which he had been told he was being transferred. Yesterday another employee attempted suicide.

France Telecom has something like 100,000 employees, and the Company is therefore quoting statistics, and stating that most suicides are prompted by personal, not professional, causes. It has, however, admitted that the cultural and organisational changes required by the move from French public monopoly to a competitive multinational were ‘bound to cause stress’. Given the nature and extent of the protection afforded to employees of a French public monopoly, that statement could probably rank as one of the great understatements of the century. These people thought they had jobs for life - and then suddenly somebody moved the goal posts.

Some people handle stress very well and adapt very well to change – in fact some people thrive on stress, and see change as a challenge. Other people - very obviously - do not.

We talked about the importance of staying positive and exerting some measure of control over your life way back in May, and you might want to go back and look at those posts, and maybe start to work with some of the techniques we’ve suggested – but in the meantime if you feel that you're getting seriously depressed, then you should seek help immediately.

Any GP can prescribe anti-depressives – and they work quite well – and if you are seriously depressed then your local GP should be your first port of call. But talking things over with a sympathetic listener and getting some objective advice can work better than popping pills that dull the pain, but leave the causes of it bottled up inside. And GPs don't have much time to talk.

The Samaritans provide confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide. You can contact them by telephone, email, letter and face to face in most of their branches. Samaritans is available to anyone in the UK and Ireland. If you live outside of the UK and Ireland, you can visit http://www.befrienders.org/ to find your nearest helpline.

And there is something else to think about here. If you go to the Samaritans website; you'll see that they state that:

Everyone has it in them to be a Samaritans volunteer. To touch another person’s life when it really matters, either by discussing their feelings with them directly, or by keeping our branches running so others can. Say ‘yes’ to joining us, and we will be behind you all the way with the training and back up you need.

Our confidential, 24-hour listening service, which never judges people, is at the heart of Samaritans – and there are many ways to contribute. By working together with the shared desire to help people experiencing emotional distress, our 17,000 volunteers make sure that our 202 branches are well-organised and supportive places to spend time. There are plenty of social activities too!

Learning to help other people is a great way to stay positive and add meaning and purpose to ones life.

Emily - http://www.therapypartnership.com/