While I am aware of the Japanese practice of Hara-kiri it came as a surprise to me that attempted suicide can be a culturally recognized response to a crisis among Indian women. This is one of the revelations that Kalyani Mehta makes in her book "Giving Up Hope - A Study of Attempted Suicides Amongst Indian Women". Published in 1990 the book is an inquiry into the high rate of attempted suicides among Indian women in comparison to other ethnic groups in Singapore. Here Indian is a comprehensive term applied to immigrants from all of South Asia. It is necessarily a sample taken from low income group as the study was drawn from patients in government hospitals and it is also predominantly Indian, and predominantly Hindu, the age range being 15-39. This age range, Mehta says, is the most stressful period in the lives of the immigrant women be they first, second or third generation.

Mehta in her conclusion states that there are three functions that suicide attempts have in Indian culture.

1) With little power to control the influences in her life, the Indian woman 'resorts to suicidal attempt to correct an injustice' even though she may die in the attempt.

2) This attempt is a means to convey deep despair, rage and protest in a culture that severely restricts and suppresses display of hostile or negative feelings and offers few alternatives of culturally sanctioned methods for communication of rage for women. Mehta states, chillingly enough, "It can be said that the suicide attempt is a behavioral language which has a cultural meaning that members of the family and the community understand."

3) It is an appeal for help. "Instead of being a maladaptive mechanism or an expression of self-defeat, the suicide attempt is often an effective coping mechanism for the Indian woman." Yes, an effective coping mechanism.

The rage against injustice and abuse in their lives and the lack of power to do anything about it is turned inward by Indian women who attempt to take their lives by swallowing Clorox. This becomes not only a call for help but also a way to effect positive change in their life, at least for the short term. It works, Mehta says, 'by invoking fear in the family members, especially those in authority, the fear of social stigma". Immediate attention is paid to the woman who attempted suicide. Mehta arrives at this conclusion based on the number of her respondents who 'having released bottle-up emotions and frustrations came to terms with adjusting to their life situation." Seeing this as a turning-point in their lives, they expressed hope in the future after having received a positive response (show of concern, contrition) from their husbands, boyfriends or other family members. She stresses that this is the short term result as the study of long-term effect of attempted suicide in the lives of women is beyond the scope of the research.

Mehta offers some recommendation on how her research may be used by social workers and policy makers to help women cope with domestic violence and abuse without having to attempt suicide. She also has a couple of pieces of advice for women in general to help themselves. She sites Shakti - the female energy - and its awakening, a concept of power attributed to women, but nevertheless kept subdued. Even though, she says, "the culture may require them to be submissive, Indian women should develop firm resolve not to tolerate injustice. This strength would find expression in verbal and behavioral terms, which in turn will lead to greater confidence, assertiveness and independence." Although Mehta's prescription sound like the impossible dream, recognition of abuse may be the first step in refusing to be abused. As a corollary she advises women to get education and economic empowerment. This unfortunately seems a little blithe considering the lack of power these women have in getting access to these two important sources.

Her second advice, which is more to the point, is to urge them to get professional help so they do not give up hope so easily.

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