Region Six remains suicide capital- Dr Ramsammy

Sep 10, 2011 News

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Every year in Guyana hundreds of individuals attempt to commit suicide. An estimated 150 to 200 persons unfortunately succeed at ending their lives. This situation has been so for decades, says Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.
Dr. Ramsammy stated that of the 10 Administrative Regions, Region Six remains the district with the highest rate of suicide. This is attributed to the fact that residents have greater access to pesticides, which is one of the leading materials used to commit suicide in the country. Yearly about 48 persons commit suicide in that Region.
However, statistics show that up to the end of June there were 12 suicide deaths. Dr. Ramsammy stressed that that represents a reduction in the number of cases. Nonetheless, at the end of June there were 241 attempted suicides.
He said that in Region Four about 50 to 60 persons commit suicide yearly but the impact is less as the population is greater.
It was revealed that within the last three years the number of suicides average 160-170, while in the previous three years the suicide rate averaged 180–200. He asserted that there is therefore some encouraging sign that the enormous amount of work is done in the past decade leading to some reduction in the number of cases.
Those revelations were made on Friday last, during a candlelight vigil in observance of World Suicide Prevention Day.
The function was poorly attended, despite the number of Guyanese who attempt suicide and die. It was held on the Avenue of Main Street, Georgetown, opposite the Cenotaph.
Dr. Ramsammy said that the Health Ministry has taken several course of actions to reduce the occurrence of suicide in Guyana. He added that counseling is provided for persons who attempted to commit suicide in hospitals, clinics, and at homes. In most instances, whenever a person attempts suicide they do not want to die but in a moment of weakness the person caves, Dr. Ramsammy enlightened.
It is anticipated that in the coming years the Ministry will expand these sessions and link families with community groups, mainly the church.
“We have trained more than 300 persons in Regions Three, Four, and Six as gatekeepers. So far, there are four persons as trainers and certified by international organizations as gatekeepers trainers,” he stated.
It was further noted that the gatekeeper programme will be expanded to accommodate 20 more trainers in the next two years. They will be training individuals in each community as gatekeepers. The goal is to ensure that community leaders including cleric, policemen and teachers become gatekeepers.
Importantly, the Ministry is conducting one of the first follow back study. In developing countries, much knowledge on suicide is from research done in developed countries but very little study is done in developing countries.
It was noted that the study will help to establish the footprints in the levels of people who commit or attempt suicide.
Dr. Ramsammy stated, “We recognize that alcohol, substance abuse, neuro-psychiatric disorders, together with social issues such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, financial problems, and other stresses contribute to suicide.” However, not everyone with these problems commit suicide.
The Ministry also introduced an Alcohol and Substance programme where there are 10 non-residential programmes. This will be expanded in each Region. Currently, health workers are being trained to recognize, diagnose and treat neuro- psychiatric disorders.
“In Guyana, we have been addressing the issue of safer storing of pesticides, since this is the number one mode of committing suicide, Dr. Ramsammy added.
As part of the Ministry’s gatekeeper programme families are being educated to store these harmful substances so no one person has access to them.
In addition, the Ministry’s hotline service has been receiving calls from members of the public. It was revealed that this service commenced in November last year. When it was first implemented only three calls were received weekly. This has changed. The hotline receives about 10 calls daily.
Guyana views suicide as a public health and developmental issue but it goes beyond the country’s borders. Countries worldwide are also affected with the lost of human resources, as these deaths are termed pre-mature.
Dr. Ramsammy emphasized that the number of people who die each year lies among the top 10 causes of deaths. Each year, more than one million people die because of suicide but there are also 20 million people who attempt suicide.
Throughout the world more men die of suicide but more women attempt suicide. The success rate of men to take their own lives is attributed to the fact they take more drastic measures, for example they choose hanging, while women may ingest sleeping pills.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on September 10 to promote worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides. On average, almost 3000 people commit suicide daily. For every person who completes a suicide, 20 or more may attempt to end their lives.
The sponsoring International Association for Suicide Prevention, the co-sponsor WHO and other partners advocate for the prevention of suicidal behaviour, provision of adequate treatment and follow-up care for people who attempted suicide, as well as responsible reporting of suicides in the media.
At the global level, awareness needs to be raised that suicide is a major preventable cause of premature death. Governments need to develop policy frameworks for national suicide prevention strategies. At the local level, policy statements and research outcomes need to be translated into prevention programmes and activities in communities.

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