IS SUICIDE PREVENTABLE?

Nov 13, 2015 Editorial, Features / Columnists

The deaths of 19-year-old Ramesh Beharry and Kavita Akloo on Monday November 2, are two deaths too many in Guyana, but could they have been prevented? Are suicide prevention strategies needed and should the government intervene to prevent suicide?
During the last two decades, suicide has become rampant in Guyana. There are no major plans by the government to address it, despite the dramatic increase in recent years. It is one of the leading causes of death in Guyana, particularly among young people, males and females.
It should be declared a public health problem since it has taken as many or more lives than the AIDS virus. Suicide is an epidemic; a mental illness with symptoms often mistakenly attributed to witchcraft.
It has become a constant threat to society; a dark shadow that hangs over the nation as many attempt suicide to escape a pained experience occasioned by hopelessness, depression, uncontrollable anger, a chauvinist control and an emotional and physical abuse and incest.
But these are not the only reasons.
In fact, there are several perceived reasons, psychological or social, that can explain the high suicide rate in Guyana. Among them are family conflicts, alcohol and drug abuse; differences in culture and socialization; girls who get pregnant outside of marriage and become despondent by societal pressures; lack of education, domestic violence, poverty in the rural areas; easy access to deadly substances such as herbicides and pesticides; opposition to love affairs, shame, peer influence and mental disorders.
Suicide can also result from tensions and pressures by in-laws to conform to certain ways due to extended families living together in overcrowded dwellings and murder; that is if some kill their spouse, relative or friend, they would be more likely to commit suicide rather than face the court.
According to statistics, Guyana has the highest suicide rate in the world with a staggering 44.2 suicides per 100,000 people while the global average is 16 per 100,000. It is estimated that 18 to 24 percent of the population in Guyana suffer from a mental disorder which translates to roughly 135,000 individuals who are in need of mental health services. Because of its strong stigma and a lack of resources, suicide as a public health issue has fallen by the wayside in Guyana. Efforts by the previous government in the last few years to deal with it have been nominal and the few interventions that have taken place seem misguided at best.
There are limited options available for those seeking mental help and they are due largely to the lack of psychiatrists and psychologists, a shortage of social workers, a functioning crisis hotline, a Psychiatric Hospital with less than 200 beds, and no community residential facility. It does not surprise anyone that Guyana has the highest rate of suicide in the world.
The statistics also revealed that eight out of every ten suicide deaths are males; and three out of every four are East Indians. Suicides occur more in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) and Region Six (East Berbice Corentyne) where 52.7% of all deaths by suicide are committed.
Two of every three persons who commit suicide in Guyana are young persons, below the age of 35. Suicide is more prevalent in rural farming communities than in other areas, with Black Bush Polder on the Corentyne being the suicide capital.
Though the statistics are discouraging, even sadder is the fact that the necessary care is lacking for mental health patients in Guyana. The reasons are the stigma which is associated with mental illness, lack of funds and resources, inadequate medical facilities and qualified personnel. However, those with suicidal tendencies prefer death than life. Despite the continued efforts to discourage it, the question still has to be asked: is suicide preventable?

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IS SUICIDE PREVENTABLE?

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