Health expert highlights Guyana’s declining suicide rate

Aug 08, 2017 News

While it is true that in 2012 Guyana had the highest suicide rate in the world, by 2015, when a Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] review was conducted, it was found that that rate had considerably declined.
This is according to Dr. William Adu-Krow, the local representative of the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation [PAHO/WHO]. Dr. Adu-Krow made this disclosure yesterday as he delivered remarks at the opening ceremony of a Bereavement Camp being hosted by the Giving Hope Foundation.
A 2012 WHO report indicated that Guyana had a suicide rate of 44.2 per 100,000 people, and that for every single female suicide, there were 3.2 male suicides. By comparison it was amplified that neighbouring territories Suriname had a suicide rate of 27.8 per 100,000, and Venezuela’s rate was 2.6 per 100,000.
According to Dr. Adu-Krow, while in 2012 Guyana had that disturbing suicide rate, the rate has since plummeted to 20.6 per 100,000 people.
“I just want to say that a lot of things are happening and sometimes people dwell on the negatives all the time. Granted that we are not off that list but we are getting off that list,” said the PAHO/WHO Representative.
As part of its efforts to help low and middle income countries like Guyana combat the scourge of suicide, WHO developed the Mental Health Gap Action Programme [mhGAP]. mhGAP is aimed at scaling up services for people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders.
In its quest to combat the evident scourge of suicide, the Ministry of Public Health had announced plans to continue a number of ‘suicide deterrent’ measures this year. These, the Ministry has revealed, will include, among other things, that efforts be made to ensure that existing laws and regulations regarding pesticide sale, use and storage are enforced.
Added to this, moves will be made to train at least 50 percent of Primary Health Care doctors in mhGAP-Intervention Guide. The programme asserts that with proper care, psychosocial assistance and medication, many could be treated for depression, schizophrenia, and epilepsy, prevented from suicide, and begin to lead normal lives – even where resources are scarce.
The Public Health Ministry as part of its suicide prevention plan, is also this year aiming to increase the number of beds added to the inpatient service offered at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s psychiatry department. This will be done, even as the Ministry seeks to incorporate important mental health topics into the Health and Family Life Education syllabus in secondary schools.
According to Director of the Ministry of Public Health Mental Health Unit, Dr. Util Richmond-Thomas, the public health sector has been making considerable strides to expand its services. Included in this movement is a plan to ensure that mental health services are offered country-wide.
The Mental Health Unit Director said that in Region Six, for instance, some 14 doctors have been trained and are stationed at health centres throughout the Region.
“They are there to screen and make sure that persons who come in with [signs] of mental health illnesses can be taken care of very early…their depression will be taken care of and coping skills will be taught,” Dr. Richmond-Thomas assured.
A similar situation obtains in Region Three, she added. Already, she disclosed, as many as 25 doctors have been trained in Region Three, and “these doctors are working in primary health care. Even though Region Three doesn’t have a psychiatrist, they are trained to deal with depression, psychosis, with anxiety and so on. So persons can go to any one of the 23 health centres where these doctors are and be adequately attended to”.
While Region Six and Three are very capable to efficiently manage any potential mental health case, Dr. Richmond-Thomas said that moves will shortly be made to also commence training of doctors in Region Two even as efforts in this regard are further expanded.

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