Suicide and mental health challenges are endemic factors for entrepreneurs as they are for the rest of the population. Dr David Cliff explores things we'd rather not talk about
The popular 1970’s show M*A*S*H had a lyric: ‘suicide is painless, it brings on many changes’. I am sure the first statement may be incorrect and the latter true, although one is no longer aware of them at the time.
The fact remains that suicide is still a significant phenomenon across society and no less in the entrepreneurial community. Indeed, this can be more so, as the isolation of being an entrepreneur, the fact that only around 15% of the population are natural leaders in the leader/follower continuum makes this a numeric inevitability. Additionally, factors including organisational dynamics, peer pressures, growth pressures, legal challenges, regulation, cashflow and dare we say the ofteninsensitive impact of our taxation systems, means that the average entrepreneur has to contend with a shed load of stress that many others do not shoulder. There are reams of academic papers that attest to the sheer isolation of the role.
It goes without saying then that many in this position endure stress over a long time, often neglecting their mental health, when others would be taking sick leave. Ultimately, crisis points can occur for people when there are simply no personal internal resources left for them to cope and they feel there is no-where to go anymore.
The Samaritans and others made a significant impact on the suicide rates across the population when the agency was conceived of many decades ago. That performance has not been emulated by the modern round of mental well-being processes, with access to counselling and the much-debated role of apps in mental health. Equally, NHS services seem to be well able to diagnose, then seem to be overstretched to treat and support many people. For many entrepreneurs, a simple face-to-face dialogue with someone who understands the journey and its vicissitudes can make an enormous difference to the challenges they are facing. This need is not always apparent when the business environment always requires us to remain positive and upbeat with stakeholders, staff and customers.
In my professional journey as a supporter of leaders, an organisational change specialist and as a psychotherapist, I do recognise that these issues surface a lot with people. What I find almost universally, is when people feel they have reached the point of no return it is not that they want to end their existence, it is simply that they want the pain to stop and can conceive of no other strategy than to consider their own total end. I’ve known many people nurture ideas of suicide almost as an escape plan – “if things just get too much then I can
.”. This is a problem as it creates more tolerance of the intolerable because you always can do something else cataclysmic. But it is truly a poor plan “B”. It leads to the danger that when stresses and problems don’t abate the prospect of ending the pain can become so much closer to hand and indeed, more palatable.
But there are other ways, and it is important that entrepreneurs consider their own self-care, their own needs and the ability to talk and share, if not with trusted colleagues, then with a trusted advisor, professional, therapist or coach.
Suicide is very real in the entrepreneurial community. Alongside the neglect of mental health conditions, associated with it, is the increased morbidity i.e. physical sickness of people who might not consider actually taking their lives but suffer from somatisation, where disease attacks the body because the stresses of the mind are not being addressed.
It’s a Gordian knot that we spend a lot of time working with people here at Gedanken. It’s not one we shirk from when it presents. Equally we are business and personal growth specialists, and our key aim is to align people’s individual goals and personal dreams and desires with the journey the organisation takes as well. This we feel is the most mentally healthy route one can take.
So do take care of yourself, business has its ups and downs. Economic conditions are not good for so many at present and yet many continue the upbeat pretence of never being busier! Denial, avoidance and the fear of seeing oneself as failing are the first stages on a slippery slope that can ultimately lead some to want to do something pretty radical and irreversible. Reaching out is the first step back. Do it!
www.gedanken.co.uk