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Driving the drivers
Dear Editor,
The issue of teen suicide and suicide overall have gripped this nation due to the extremely high number of cases in 2016, particularly among young adults. I would like to offer my view on this very sensitive topic and that is highlighting what I believe to be some of the possible drivers contributing the high rates of suicide in our country.
For simplicity, I would like to offer this simple formula which explains my conception of the problem that has been fermenting for a numbers of years (even decades) and this is – A lack of education (high illiteracy) + a lack of access to opportunities + breakdown of family and community + high economic disparity + high alcohol and drug use = High Teen Suicide Rate.
Editor, in my opinion these factors have created the perfect storm we see manifesting today and beyond and is now approaching critical mass in our society and if our leaders and few social experts did not see the writing on the wall then they truly had their heads buried in the sand or refused to accept reality. Therefore, leaders today should not be surprised but confront the realities of the problem. The past regime failed to address the issue and its drivers for many years and now the new Government is forced to confront it. Editor, what is also disturbing is the seeming absence of the religious community in confronting this issue whose memberships by and far have also seen a drastic decline across the three dominant religions over the years, pointing to another driver and evidence of a nation that has become less religiously tolerant than our fore-parents who were much more God fearing.
As a young Guyanese I would also note, and perhaps a controversial one, in pointing to another culprit which is the rise and access to technology and social media which has opened up many boundless possibilities but which also came with some unintended social consequences with regards to our youth. The social life of teen is much more different for those of us 30+ have ever experienced and while some experts have voiced their concern, social scientists have been reluctant to tackle this subject and its effects head on. Another question that should be asked is where are the mental health professionals who are suited to dealing with people on the brink of suicide, or is Guyana devoid of such professionals? If this is the case then what is the academic industry doing to address this shortfall and should our Government and private sector now look at placing more emphasis on mental health issues by providing more access and resources to personal and public treatment? Editor, I hope this letter can begin to stir some minds and spur action. We as a nation need to be honest and do a serious assessment of the drivers proliferating this phenomenon and only then can we hope to find a workable solution to reducing teen suicide and suicide overall in Guyana.
Anthony Persaud
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