WHO estimates Guyana suicide rate as highest globally

Sep 06, 2014 News

---

– CMO admits situation is “bad”

Guyana has long been struggling to deal with the challenge of suicide, a state of affairs that was affirmed when the World Health Organisation (WHO) released its inaugural Global Report on suicide prevention.
According to the Report, although estimated suicide rates are generally lower in the WHO Region of the Americas than in other WHO Regions, Guyana is the country with the highest estimated suicide rate for 2012 globally.
And there was no attempt by Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, to sugarcoat the local suicide predicament. In an invited comment, Dr. Persaud admitted that the situation is “bad.”
WHO has pointed out that one of the keys to reducing deaths by suicide is a commitment by national governments to the establishment and implementation of a coordinated plan of action. Currently, only 28 countries are known to have national suicide prevention strategies.
Among the countries of the Americas currently plagued with high rates of suicide is Suriname which follows Guyana with a sixth place rating.
According to the WHO Report, suicide rates in this section of the world reveal an initial peak among the young, remain at the same level for other age groups and rise again in elderly men.
It was pointed out that while suicide occurs all over the world and can take place at almost any age, globally, suicide rates are highest in people aged 70 years and over. In some countries, however, the highest rates are found among the young. Notably, suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15-29 year-olds globally.
Generally, more men die by suicide than women. In richer countries, three times as many men die by suicide than women. Men aged 50 years and over are particularly vulnerable, the Report adds.
It was pointed out that in low- and middle-income countries, young adults and elderly women have higher rates of suicide than their counterparts in high-income countries, while women over 70 -years- old are more than twice likely to die by suicide than women aged 15-29 years.
The Report in detailing methods of suicide outlined that in high-income countries, hanging accounts for 50 per cent of suicides with firearms being the second most common method accounting for 18 per cent.
It was deduced too, that the relatively high proportion of suicides by firearms in high-income countries is primarily driven by high-income countries in the Americas where firearms account for 46 per cent of all suicides. In other high-income countries, firearms account for only 4.5 per cent of all suicides.
However, it has been ascertained that pesticide poisoning, hanging and firearms are among the most common methods of suicide globally.
Evidence from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United States and a number of European countries; reveal that limiting access to these means can help prevent people dying by suicide.
Based on the statistics provided by WHO; more than 800, 000 people die by suicide every year which translates to around one person every 40 seconds with some 75 per cent of suicides occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
According to WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, “this report is a call for action to address a large public health problem which has been shrouded in taboo for far too long.”
While reducing access to means of suicide is one way to reduce deaths, the Report listed other effective measures such as responsible reporting of suicide in the media; avoiding language that sensationalizes suicide, and avoiding explicit description of methods used, and early identification and management of mental and substance use disorders in communities and by health workers in particular.
The Report adds too that “follow-up care by health workers through regular contact, including by phone or home visits, for people who have attempted suicide, together with provision of community support, are essential, because people who have already attempted suicide are at the greatest risk of trying again.”
“No matter where a country currently stands in suicide prevention, effective measures can be taken, even just starting at local level and on a small-scale”, said Dr. Alexandra Fleischmann, Scientist in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO. WHO therefore recommends that countries involve a range of government departments in developing a comprehensive coordinated response.
High-level commitment, it was noted, is needed not just within the health sector, but also within education, employment, social welfare and judicial departments.
“This report, the first WHO publication of its kind, presents a comprehensive overview of suicide, suicide attempts and successful suicide prevention efforts worldwide. We know what works. Now is the time to act,” said Dr. Shekhar Saxena, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO.
The report’s launch comes days before World Suicide Prevention Day, which is observed on 10 September every year. The Day provides an opportunity for joint action to raise awareness about suicide and suicide prevention around the world.
In the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, WHO Member States have committed themselves to work towards the global target of reducing the suicide rate in countries by 10 per cent by 2020.
WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme, launched in 2008, includes suicide prevention as a priority and provides evidence-based technical guidance to expand service provision in countries.

---

---