Suicide must be recognised as a real challenge to be effectively addressed – Caribbean Voice

Sep 11, 2014 News

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In order for any problem to be addressed there must first be the acknowledgment that the problem does exist.  This was the assertion of Dr. Dawn Stewart as she spoke at a forum venued at the Quamina Street, Georgetown, Cara Lodge, to mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2014.
Embracing the theme “Suicide prevention is everybody’s business,” the forum was spearheaded by Caribbean Voice Inc., a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which has plans to become the largest non-profit community based organisation in the Caribbean Diaspora.
Dr. Stewart who yesterday spoke in the capacity of a member of Caribbean Voice; told a gathering of representatives mainly drawn from national NGOs, that “we have not recognised in our culture that suicide and mental health are issues.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) in its inaugural Global Report on suicide prevention released last week, revealed that while the estimated suicide rates are generally lower in the Region of the Americas than in other WHO Regions, Guyana is the country with the highest estimated global suicide rate for 2012.
This disclosure has prompted intensified discussions about the way forward in addressing this prevailing challenge.
Moreover, Dr. Stewart in her deliberations yesterday pointed to the need to address the problem from its very source. She therefore, emphasised that it has been substantiated that suicide is linked to alcohol abuse and depression.
Dr. Stewart, owner of the Lyken Funeral Home, went on to note that over the years she has been able to observe that far too many persons, particularly young males, have been dying because of suicide. And according to her, 90 per cent of such cases are persons with a history of alcoholism. She based her observation on a survey that was conducted between 2008 and 2014 that revealed that some 300 persons between the ages of 15 and 35 who committed suicide were attended to at her Funeral Home.
This discovery, she noted, was worrisome enough for keen efforts to be directed towards finding ways to help stop the prevalence of suicide even as she highlighted her conviction that “we must address our problem of alcoholism to get to the suicide (issue).”
But according to Dr. Stewart, “we first have to admit to ourselves that we, as a people, have problems with mental health; we have to admit as a people we have problems with alcoholism and problems with drug abuse.”
“We must accept that we have a problem in order to fix it,” asserted Dr. Stewart. In addressing the problem through, she emphasised the need for the support of skilled persons, including psychologists and psychiatrists.
And Dr. Stewart yesterday speculated that Guyana is currently in need for such trained specialists to aid the process of tackling the daunting suicide rate.
In addition to the need for specialists, she stressed the importance of legislative mechanisms. “We have to address the issue of alcoholism in our country…what I hope we would see is (the implementation of) laws that prevent the distribution of alcohol to young people; strict laws and punishment for persons who distribute alcohol to young people.”
According to another member, Dr. Faith Harding, who formerly held a distinguished place in the local political arena, Caribbean Voice is on a mission to raise awareness about suicide with a view of reducing its existing prevalence.  Had enough been done to address the issue a long time ago “we would not have been on top of the list…” said Dr. Harding of the WHO findings.
“We don’t want to be cited in such a negative way around the world – that we have the highest suicide rate…That’s not something to be proud of; we want to bring pride to Guyanese and to feel that we are working together to address these social issues that are really destroying our nation,” said Dr. Harding.
She pointed out that while enough has not been done in the past, there is yet evidence of very little being done to date.  Moreover, she noted that it is a matter that needs to be addressed seriously.  “This is why Caribbean Voice has come together with Guyanese of all walks of life around the world to take a stance on the prevention of suicide,” intimated Dr. Harding as she pointed out that a lot needs to be done at the level of the community. “It is a lot of work that needs to be done and we have to do it together,” she categorically added.
Moreover, Diane Madray, another Caribbean Voice representative informed, that creating change in this regard requires participation not only from NGOs but the community as a whole, including the media.
Madray, who also spoke on behalf of Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness (CADVA), one of Caribbean Voice’s supporting partners, noted that while suicide is seen as a major mental health disorder there is also need to recognise the survivors of suicide losses. Among these she listed family members and friends, even as she outlined that as part of the prevention mechanism and in charting the way forward, is the need to help surviving loved ones cope. “It is not just about the individuals who commit suicide but it is about the loved ones who are involved also,” Madray added.
Yesterday’s forum which was moderated by Caribbean Voice’s Bibi Ahamad, saw the attendance of a number of local organisations with an interest in suicide prevention, including the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association and Monique’s Caring Hands Support Centre, among others.

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