Suicide – a major public health problem says Health Minister

Sep 11, 2010 News

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From left: Social Worker, Robert Singh; Surveillance Officer, Preeta Saywack and Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy.

– More than 5,000 victims recorded in last 25 years

More than 5,000 people have lost their lives to suicide in the last 25 years. This declaration was made by Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, yesterday even as he addressed a gathering to mark the observance of World Suicide Prevention Day.
The day is observed globally on September 10 and this year’s theme is “Many faces, many places: suicide prevention across the world.” The local observance of the day was kicked into motion at the Ministry of Health’s Brickdam head office with a minute of silence for victims of suicide.
Yesterday also marked the launch of the National Suicide Prevention Committee and the commencement of the Ministry’s Crisis Hotline.
In underscoring the point that suicide is a major public health problem, the Minister asserted that efforts must be made to not focus on just the deaths as there are many more suicide attempts than there are deaths.
He further asserted that while just about a million deaths are reported it has been recognised that many countries have not been reporting some deaths. “These reported deaths represent a significant underreporting…with 15 million suicide attempts per year globally. We are not dealing with an insignificant problem and it is a major public health problem,” the Minister emphasised.
According to Surveillance Officer within the Ministry, Ms Preeta Saywack, suicide touches the lives of many people and is a tragedy in every case, both for the life that has been lost and the family, friends and communities left behind. She warned that as the lives claimed by suicide continue to grow at the global level “we can no longer ignore or be complacent about the growing incident of suicide and self-harm in our world.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that on average, almost 3,000 people commit suicide daily and for every one person who commits suicide, 20 more may attempt to end their life.
Every year almost one million people die from suicide, a development which amounts to one death every 40 seconds. In the last 45 years, Saywack said that suicide rates have increased by 60 percent worldwide ranking suicide as one of the three leading causes of death among those aged 15 – 44 in some countries and the second leading cause of death among the 10 – 24 year-old age group.
“In Guyana, suicide ranks among our top 10 leading causes of death and over the last 25 years an average of 150 to 200 of our people are dying at their own hands every year.”
And like many other countries, Saywack asserted that suicide deaths are highest among the male population. She related that in Guyana for every three males that die of suicide one female dies.
“Our most significant numbers are among our productive population that is our 15 to 44 year olds.”

Pesticides
related suicide
And although there are a few things that are commonly associated with suicide locally, Saywack disclosed that pesticides are the chief option. She said that statistics indicate that Region Six has had the highest incidence of suicide in Guyana followed by Regions Two and Three.
According to her, pesticides and hanging account for over 90 percent of deaths due to suicide with pesticides accounting for over 60 percent. “The statistics, though they have helped to shape many of our interventions, still do minimum justice in understanding the complexity of suicide and suicide behaviours.”
The Ministry of Health, she offered, has recognised that suicide is a manifestation of much bigger issues that must be addressed. These issues, she said, include how many people are suffering from depression and anxiety and other problems of mental health that may put them at greater risk.
And in an attempt to uncover more details, the Ministry has embarked on a suicide study which is an accepted methodology for creating a psychological profile of those that have died by suicide.
This measure, she said, is a series of structured interviews that creates the life history of those who have taken their life in an attempt to learn and understand why suicide occurs. To date, eight persons in-country have been identified and trained in this regard by Consultant Jack Hicks from Canada, according to Saywack.
She recalled that last January, the team under Mr Hicks’s supervision conducted a pilot study in Berbice to test the methodology and interviewed family and friends of over nine suicide victims.
In the months to come too, she added that the study will be scaled up to capture more cases under the trainer-supervision with the intent of building the in-country capacity to carry the study out on an ongoing basis.
“Suicide is like the tip of an iceberg and this study is about uncovering and understanding not just what lies above the surface but what really lies beneath and what drives suicide behaviours.”
In addressing the scourge of suicide, Saywack emphasised that there is no one answer even as there is no one person or organisation that holds the responsibility to deal with the problem. “Suicide is a problem that we all have a duty in addressing whether we be health professionals, part of the media, teachers or religious leaders; if we simply realise our collective role maybe we can do more to turn the numbers around and save lives.”

Gate Keepers Approach
The Ministry of Health, in September 2006, introduced the Gate Keepers Training programme, according to Social Worker attached to the Ministry of Health, Robert Singh. According to him, extensive training sessions were done in Region Six particularly in Mibicuri as well as the Middle and Upper Corentyne.
“The training was very successful and we were able to train approximately 60 persons,” he revealed. But there is still more work in progress, he added.
According to Singh, just about any adult (18 years and older) who may be in frontline employments, such as officers in the Guyana Police Force, nurses and others that offer social services, can be trained to be actively involved in the prevention of suicide.

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