We must all work together to achieve greater suicide prevention in Guyana

By Karen Cummings  (Minister within the Ministry of Public Health)

SADLY, we continue to live with the scourge of suicide within our society, even as the Ministry of Public Health, along with concerned stakeholders, intensifies efforts at suicide prevention. While work is ongoing in addressing myriad issues of mental health in Guyana, suicide, which is one feature of mental illness, continues to shake the social foundation of our country.

Though Guyana is no longer ignobly known as the suicide capital of the world, there is still much work to be done to further reduce the number of suicides that occurs. We must continue to combine our collective efforts and do all that we can to ensure that we significantly reduce the number of suicides which occur in Guyana annually. On September 10, 2018, it is World Suicide Prevention Day. We must all recommit and redouble our efforts to doing more to engage in more suicide-prevention action that can help save lives.
The importance of suicide prevention

Many persons suffer from depression and other mental illnesses and struggle through life, oftentimes in silence. People with mental illnesses live with the fear of stigmatisation that is frequently attached to such mental illnesses as depression and addiction. Many people who are thinking about suicide are not necessarily seeking help, even though they desperately need it. Unfortunately, the prevention of suicide has not been adequately addressed due in part to a lack of awareness of this issue, despite it being an important public health problem. Therefore, much more must be done by way of health promotion to significantly raise the profile of suicide prevention, nationwide. When someone commits suicide, the person is either misguidedly referred to as crazy and/or selfish. There is often a lack of perspective on what could lead people to feel so utterly hopeless and alone that they would go to the ultimate extreme of taking their own lives.

There is a devastating ripple effect of suicide that remains with the family of a person who commits suicide. In addition, there is a significant societal cost. For every suicide, there are many more people who attempt suicide every year. Or put differently, for every suicide there are several attempts. A prior suicide attempt is the single most important risk factor for suicide in the population. There is even a higher financial burden of suicide caused by indirect costs, such as lost wages and productivity. Reducing and ultimately eliminating the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health problems is one critical way to ensure that suicide prevention can be achieved. Through education and enhanced public awareness, persons can be more aware of the peculiar signs to look for in persons who may be contemplating suicide, or may be experiencing mental health problems.
The role of family and friends in suicide prevention

The family can play an important role in the prevention of suicide. Further, the family is capable of aiding mental health care services in the early detection and management of family members at risk of mental health issues and suicide. In order to attain this goal, the entire family should be informed of the effective ways to prevent suicide. It is important to note that suicide is an avoidable cause of death, and in order to be able to prevent suicide among its members, the family should rid itself of those myths associated with suicidal behaviour and learn the facts of mental illness and suicide.

Intrinsic to being able to engage in successful suicide prevention, family and close friends must be able to identify changes in behaviour, non-verbal cues and indirect verbal expressions that could indicate suicidal thoughts in an individual with whom they may be close. Demonstrated care and love will give that suffering person the confidence to talk to a family member, friend or colleague about his or her perceived suicidal thoughts and most importantly, immediately connect that person with professional care.

Often, family and friends are the first to recognise the warning signs of suicide and can be the first step towards helping an at-risk individual find treatment with someone who specialises in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions.

Some of the signs to look for in a person who may be having suicidal thoughts
A person, rarely if ever, impulsively takes his or her own life. The decision for a person to commit suicide is one that is premeditated and viewed by that individual as the most viable way to stop the hurt he or she may be experiencing.

There are some vital signs, however, which signal that a person may be battling a bout of depression or some other form of mental illness. A person experiencing mental disorders, particularly mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and certain personality disorders presents certain signs, some of which are listed below:
• Talking about wanting to die or to kill oneself
• Looking for a way to kill oneself
• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live
• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
• Talking about being a burden to others
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
• Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly
• Sleeping too little or too much
• Withdrawing or feeling isolated
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
• Displaying extreme mood swings
Talking honestly, responsibly and safely about suicide can help you determine if someone needs help. If you want to help someone in crisis, try doing some or all of the following:
• Listening and showing concern – showing concern can be an immediate way to help someone; attentive listening would not increase the risk of suicide. In fact, it may save a life.
• Speaking with persons who may be suffering from depression and reassuring them that they are not alone in their problems, letting them know you care.
• Placing someone displaying signs of mental illness in professional care.
Suicide is a multi-factor problem, where diverse social, cultural, psychological, educational and economic dynamics converge. Being such a complex phenomenon, addressing suicide requires an interdisciplinary perspective that allows for a broad understanding of self-destructive behaviour at the personal and group levels. Studying and researching suicide requires multisector actions that have profound interactions with the environment. Preventing someone from taking his or her own life is extremely vital in our efforts to reduce the incidence of suicide in Guyana.

If you know of anyone who may be suffering from mental illness or may be contemplating suicide, please call the 24-hour suicide-prevention helpline at 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444 or 600-7896.