WITH Guyana having an alarmingly high suicide rate, strong attention will be placed on helping families, caregivers, schools, colleges, universities and faith-based institutions to develop strategies to tackle the scourge.Equal attention will also be paid to mental health with focus on early intervention. Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Dr Karen Cummings said these will form part of a plan to create mentally-healthy workplaces.

Recently, US Chargé d’Affaires Brian Hunte had observed that with a suicide rate of 44.2 per 100,000 per year; too many lives are being lost in Guyana. Guyana has also been struggling with the problem of human capital shortages.

The loss, Hunte said, is due to a lack of solid investment
in improved mental health outcomes. He was, however, quick to recognise the efforts being made by the Administration to tackle this problem. Dr Cumming said the government will be moving to address mental health and suicide holistically. “We are going to expand the capacity of older folks, families and communities to promote mental health later in life and intervene, to reduce and prevent suicide whenever possible, modernise mental health facilities and establish community centres for nursing suicidal persons and their families back to living productive lives,” the Minister said.
World Suicide Prevention Day 2015 will be observed on September 10 under the theme: “Preventing Suicide: Reaching out and Saving Lives”. Dr Cumming said in observance of the occasion, the Ministry of Public Health will partner with stakeholders such as the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and others to commence work in Baramita, Region 1. In Baramita, the figure had risen to crisis proportion. Some 69 persons within the last 4 years have committed suicide. The youngest person who attempted suicide in the village is 6 years old while a successful attempt was made by a 10-year-old.
REGIONS 2 AND 3

“We will also be focusing on other regions such as Region 2 and Region 6, which have been the regions observed, from research, to have been the most challenging regions,” Dr Cummings said. Within the Ministry of Public Health, there is a draft strategic plan for tackling mental illness. According to the draft National Mental Health Strategy for Guyana 2015-2020, between 78,000 and 114,000 Guyanese are suffering from a mental disorder and require some level of mental health care service. In addition, 20,000 Guyanese suffer from severe mental illness. Guyana’s population is 748,000.
Unipolar depression is the fifth greatest contributor to the disease burden in Guyana; and suicide, a mental health issue, is the leading cause of death among Guyanese. “We will be reviewing that plan carefully with a view to operationalising it as quickly as possible so as to be able to effectively manage mental illness and mental health issues in Guyana,” Dr Cumming said. She said much work needs to be done in diagnosing and treating all aspects of mental illness.
The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO 1999) defines mental health as a state of emotional and social well-being in which the individual can cope with the normal stresses of life and achieve his or her potential. It is a result of a complex interplay of biological, psychological, social, environmental, and economic factors. Good mental health is more than the absence of mental illness; it is a complete sense of well-being and quality of life on all levels, the United Nations body on health says. Dr Cummings said neuro-psychiatric disorders, like any other diseases, require careful treatment and the Ministry of Public Health will manage mental health and suicide by addressing a number of known risks and protective factors. These will focus on setting clear objectives that are sustainable over the long run and support villages and regional communities to take appropriate action. Some priorities include increased education on how to prevent mental illness and suicide wherever possible and eliminate stigma.