Public Health Ministry reports dip in suicide rate

Jul 21, 2019 News

In 2014, Guyana was said to have the world’s highest in suicide rate, with 44.2 percent suicides per 100,000 deaths. This figure was four times the global average.
The World Health Organisation report represented an effort to bring global attention to the issue of suicide. The goal was to encourage individual countries to take steps to prevent suicide, considering their specific culture and addressing local risk factors.
In 2015, Guyana became one of the only 28 countries to develop a suicide prevention plan in response to the report. The plain identifies factors that could contribute to the country’s high rate of suicide.
In light of that prevention plan being implemented, Guyana has seen a dip in the reports of suicide. Back in 2017, there were 184 suicide deaths as opposed to 141 in 2018. This meant that the percentage had dropped to 24.6 percent.
Those figures were noted at the Mental Health Workshop by Dr. Util Richmond- Thomas, Director of the Mental Health Unit.
This workshop was coordinated by the British High Commission in collaboration with the Guyana Press Association (GPA) and media operatives on Saturday. The workshop was intended to sensitise persons working in media on the importance of maintaining high media ethics when reporting on sensitive issues like mental health and suicide.
The initiative was further supported by the University of Guyana, the Ministry of Public Health and the Samaritans.
In 2016, Greenland was stated with the highest suicide rate in the world, but because it is not included in the World Health Organization (WHO) compilation. This National Suicide Prevention Plan 2015-2020 includes goals, principles, objectives and lines of actions in order to identify the specific high-risk individual and groups for whom a tailored approach to their mental health need.
The strategic prevention plan incorporates the engagement of the whole population to reduce access by reducing inappropriate media coverage of suicide and to foster stronger and more supportive communities and schools.
Secondly, by selective interventions which aim to work with groups and communities, who are identified as being at a higher risk of suicide.
By providing face-to-face response services for those bereaved by suicide, training front-line emergency response services in the community and coordination of suicide response services.
And lastly, indicated interventions which target individuals who are showing signs of symptoms that are strongly associated with suicide or are in circumstances, which place them at a higher risk of suicide.
For instance, Suicide Prevention Helpline or a peer support network can work for those with suicide ideation and suicide attempt.

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