ruth901
After a suicide attemptWolfgang Grupp gives his weapon to his son
Wolfgang Grupp stands in the Trigema fabric warehouse.
picture alliance/dpa / Marijan Murat
Wolfgang Grupp tried to take his own life last year. The former Trigema boss now regrets this step – and is drawing conclusions.
Former Trigema boss Wolfgang Grupp has banned firearms from his life after his suicide attempt. “My revolver, which I had for security reasons, is no longer there,” he said in an interview. “My son has it under lock and key.” He also no longer has his hunting license.
The 84-year-old made a suicide attempt public in the middle of last year. He wrote in a letter to his former employees that he suffered from depression in old age and wondered whether he was still needed. He deeply regrets what happened and would like to undo it. He immediately regretted the step.
Grupp was at the helm of the Swabian textile manufacturer Trigema for more than half a century. In the letter he spoke of a stressful phase after the handover of the company. He had fooled himself into believing that he was no longer needed, said Grupp. He explained in “Wirtschaftswoche”: “The cause of the depression was the realization: This is now the last chapter in my life. When I read the obituaries in the newspaper, the impacts come closer.”
He now takes medication and continues to work in the company – albeit with less stress. Today the responsibility lies with his children. After the suicide attempt, he received more than 2,000 letters, many of them from people who had been in similar situations. “That really moved me.”
Trigema is a manufacturer of underwear, leisure and sportswear. The company advertises that it offers 100 percent “Made in Germany”.
Here you can find help in difficult situations
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts yourself, please seek help immediately. Try talking to other people about it! These can be friends or relatives. But there is also the option to talk anonymously to other people about your thoughts. This can be done by phone, chat, email or in person.
If you need help quickly, you can call the free telephone hotline 0800-1110111 or 0800-1110222 to find people who can show you ways out of difficult situations.
Sources used: chr/dpa
