By Vanessa Cort

I WAS told by my eldest daughter of the death by suicide of an attractive Guyanese woman who appeared to be in her late 20s, but was actually 36-years-old. When I saw the picture of a smiling young woman who exuded such warmth, I was moved to tears.

I was even more alarmed when I learned that June Ann De Abreu had made a TikTok video announcing her intention and leaving messages prior to taking her life
Once more, the chilling spectre of death by suicide has loomed its ugly ‘head’ in Guyana, following another suspected suicide last month of an even younger woman, 19-year-old, Malinda Fiona Niewenkirk. Just a day earlier, there was also a suspected suicide by a 40-year-old businessman, Hector Calvin Hartwell and four days before this, the police were probing a suspected murder/suicide involving a 26-year-old farmer, Ajay Budhan. These are just some of the cases this year.

And I ask myself for the ‘umpteenth’ time: what would cause a person to be without hope so as to decide to die by their own hands? Those ‘left behind’ often ask the same question, along with the ‘what ifs’ – ‘what if I had spotted the signs earlier?’

In the case of murder-suicide, the reason at least seems obvious. But in the case of Ms. De Abreu, perhaps some inkling of what was troubling her can be gleaned from one of the messages she sent: “To the guys I had loved unconditionally, who had me questioning my self worth, asking if I was enough.” She went on to say, “I left earth knowing I was enough or even more.”
But did she really believe this? The act of taking her own life would seem to indicate that she still felt somewhat inadequate or unworthy. But as she is no longer here to answer questions, this is all pure speculation.

Apparently, this lovely pharmacist tried suicide unsuccessfully once before. The second time around she not only succeeded but clearly planned the act, sending messages to her son, family and friends beforehand.

I was immediately reminded of the words of Guyanese Psychotherapist Shane Tull, who said in an interview that people who threaten suicide or attempt it, contrary to popular thought, usually carry it through and should be taken seriously.

The experts at Harvard Health in the US tell us that “…a loss through suicide is like no other and the grieving can be especially complex and traumatic.” Some suicide survivors suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), whereby they involuntarily re-live the trauma.

Particularly disturbing is what the doctors refer to as the ‘mixed emotions’ following a suicide. They point out that after a homicide, survivors can direct their anger at the perpetrator. “In a suicide the victim is the perpetrator, so there is a bewildering clash of emotions.”

While some who die by suicide are mentally disturbed or facing circumstances they find intolerable, for others the act “may seem like an assault on or rejection of those left behind.”
Researchers suggest that suicide survivors seek individual counselling and suicide support groups or ‘similar kinship’ groups where, for instance, parents talk to parents. They stress, however that, “Suicide isn’t the most important thing about the person who died.”

As June Ann De Abreu said, “Remember my crazy ways the way I used to laugh…remember me singing karaoke…”
And on a more sombre note, French Nobel Prize winner and writer, Albert Camus, said this: “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.”

The Suicide Prevention Hotline in Guyana can be reached on 223-0001/09, 600-7896 and 623-4444. Call for professional counselling.