ON the heels of World Suicide Prevention Day, Guyana has joined countries worldwide to end the scourge of suicide, with the launch of Government’s five-year National Suicide Prevention Plan in all 10 administrative regions. Through collaborative efforts with the Mental Health Unit and the Miss World Campaign, the Ministry of Public Health launched Guyana’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy at the Cara Lodge Hotel yesterday.

Among those in attendance were representatives from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and other key players in the implementation of the plan to reduce the alarming rate of suicide in Guyana.
LINES OF ACTION
Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton, during the official launch, pointed out that the strategy includes plans for a multi-sectoral approach, encouraging community participation with an interest in suicide prevention and the mobilisation of resources and efforts to save lives.
In its lines of action, the strategy states that it will strengthen effective governance and leadership for suicide prevention and control, reduce access to the means for suicide, improve the response capacity of mental health services in community-based settings to respond to suicides, strengthen surveillance and improve quality data on suicide and lastly, implement strategies for health promotion and prevention for improved suicide awareness.
“Hard copies of plans are nothing else but hard copies. I can assure you with the meetings that I had with all those who were integrally involved in the actual planning and the execution of the plan, I am confident to say to you that this plan will become a reality,” said the Health Minister confidently.
ALARMING FIGURES
According to PAHO representative Dr. William Adu-Krow, Guyana has an improved eight percent in suicide rate thus far. Suicide is prevalent in Regions 2, 3,6 and 4, but according to Dr. Norton over the years, Regions 1, 2 and 6 have been mapped as having alarming figures of suicide.
“What came to the front is the situation in the Baramita community in Region 1, that has a population of less than 1,000. It has recorded 48 suicide cases in the last four years. They [officials] have averaged that the community has a suicide every six weeks. We certainly would need to put more emphasis there,” pointed out Minister Norton after disclosing that officials from his ministry, including himself, will be visiting that community come next week.
Apart from community meetings, the Health Ministry will be hosting educational seminars for medical staff and student nurses on suicide prevention and management. Training will also be offered to officers of the Ministry of Social Protection and a TV/Radio Series will be launched soon to engage the public on matters relating to suicide prevention.
While touting the newly-established inter-agency suicide-prevention helpline, Dr. Norton said the helpline has proven very successful although being operational for just a short while. The line, which functions as a “coping partner” for many, recently helped to save the life of a young man from Santa Mission.

The helpline is designed to provide comfort, counselling and support to persons who are struggling, not only with suicidal thoughts, but other issues, which can affect their mental health and/or life, and possibly lead to suicide. These include substance abuse, depression, anger management, abuse, and neglect, along with any other issue which can result in self-inflicted pain or damage.
Guyana has the highest suicide rate in the world and according to remarks penned by the Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, the ministry will mount an aggressive prevention campaign that will seek to educate on the issue of suicide and empower persons to rise above their challenges and equip them with the various resources to deal with their difficulties.
Meanwhile, reigning Miss Guyana World Lisa Punch, in the midst of the launch of Guyana’s National Suicide Prevention Plan, with the help of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, launched her ‘Prevention of Teenage Suicide’ platform that will be promoting suicide-prevention awareness in schools across Guyana soon.
World Suicide Prevention Day was celebrated countrywide yesterday under the theme, ‘Reaching Out and Saving Lives.’
According to the recently released World Health Organization (WHO) report: ‘Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative,’ over 800,000 people die by suicide across the world each year. The report notes that this estimate is conservative, with the real figure likely to be higher in view of the stigma associated with suicide, lack of reliable death- recording procedures, and religious or legal sanctions against suicide in some countries.
By Shivanie Sugrim