SUICIDE IN GUYANA

Sep 17, 2016 Editorial, Features / Columnists

The recent suicidal death of Yougram Bladesh of Blairmont, West Berbice was tragic. It was heartbreaking for many in the country to hear about another suicide. While it may never be known why the teenager took his own life, it should remind all of us of the seriousness of suicide.
With tears in her eyes, his grieving mother, Sadit Persaud, told the media that her son was intoxicated and was not acting normal on the day he committed suicide, but she did not know what to do.
Guyana has experienced some serious problems over the years, but nothing could be worse than the loss of life of youths due to suicide. It has stunned the nation and is eating away at the fabric of society.
Suicide is a national epidemic; it affects everyone in society directly or indirectly. Suicide is not only about the loss of a life of one individual, it is also a tragedy for society and for relatives and friends who are left to grieve. It has far reaching consequences for the nation. It is a very serious social problem in Guyana which has the highest suicide rate in the world per capita.
Data on suicide in Guyana is limited, as the country’s health department is focused mainly on infectious tropical and mosquito-borne diseases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2014, Guyana had a suicide rate of 44.2 per 100,000 person and that for every female suicide, there were 3.2 male suicides. By comparison, neighbouring Suriname had a suicide rate of 27.8 per 100,000. Venezuela’s rate of 2.6 per 100,000 is the lowest in the region.
East Indians accounted for the majority of suicides in the country by the end of last year.About 40 percent of people who commit suicide in Guyana consume agricultural pesticides. Most are youths between the ages of 16 years and 30 years old. In terms of population, Guyana is too small to have such high suicide rate.
With fewer than ten full-time psychiatrists, a shortage of psychologists and trained social workers in the country and a dysfunctional crisis hotline, there are limited options for those contemplating suicide to seek help. There is no single reason that can explain the shockingly high rate of suicides in Guyana, but health workers have pointed to the deep poverty in the rural areas, the prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse, rejection in a love affair, family pressures to marry young, arranged marriages and culture, among others.
Suicides have provided a dose of reality for all to grapple with. Studies show that the onset of mental health-related issues including sadness, hopelessness, despair, low self-esteem, and mental disorders such as depression and anxiety could lead to alcohol and substance abuse, and ultimately suicide. But every problem, no matter how unsolvable it may seem, has a solution.
In Guyana, suicide remains a taboo subject, and even though some have linked it to witchcraft, the unnerving silence has done nothing to solve it. Stigma and misconceptions have contributed to a lack of constructive conversations; but the nation can no longer cower, because deaths by suicide could be seen as an indictment on the nation and the government’s failure to address it. Like other disquieting issues such as child abuse and domestic violence, public awareness and conversations could stimulate action to help reduce suicide.
Regrettably, recent attempts by the government to address the issue of suicide have been stymied by political wrangling which has taken precedent over suicidal issues. In July of this year, a bill to amend the country’s laws to decriminalize suicide, implement a five-year National Suicide Prevention Plan and allocated funds to treat mental health and suicidal issues as national priorities was voted down in Parliament by the government.
The government has argued that the manner in which the legislation was framed by the opposition has politicized and trivialized the issue of suicide. This type of political gamesmanship and lack of compassion by the authority is unacceptable. It is time to end the political rhetoric and address the suicidal issue.

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