Suicide surge in Berbice
By Leon Suseran
There has been an upsurge in suicides in Berbice over the past week. During last week alone, five men took their own lives. Berbice has been known to be a ‘hot- spot’ of suicides over the years, with the Corentyne topping the suicide geographical area.
Joshua Ragbeer, 27, of Lot 79, Number 2 Settlement, Blairmont, West Bank Berbice hanged himself last Monday in his cell at the New Amsterdam Prison. In April he had confessed to a murder that was committed some 14 years ago when he was 13 years old. He was subsequently charged for the offence at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court and remanded to jail.
Hire car driver, Indrakumar ‘Rajin’ Jaggarnauth , 38, of Whim Village, Corentyne died at the New Amsterdam Hospital on November 5.
Vickram ‘Vishal’ Singh, 24, of 27 Johns Settlement, Port Mourant, 
Them Kullie men know the ropes: That is five votes for the PPP gone fuh channa 
Corentyne committed suicide on November 2. He hanged himself in the Tain backdam. A few cattle farmers made the gruesome discovery early that Saturday morning. “We don’t know if he hang himself Friday night or Saturday morning, but his body was very stiff as if he did it early,” one of them said.
One of his aunts, Natasha, stated she received a message on November 2, that he “hang himself.” Police and relatives then gathered at the Ramoo’s Funeral Home at Williamsburg. He leaves to mourn his wife, Sabo, and son Anthony Singh.
And Jaidat ‘Vijay’ Dipoo, 32, of Hampshire Squatting Area, Corentyne committed suicide by ingesting poison last Tuesday. He leaves to mourn his wife, Margaret and children, Rosanna, Rebecca, Rehana, Rachel and Samuel.
Then on last Friday, police at the Blairmont Police Station at West Berbice, discovered the lifeless body of Balkissoon ‘Boi’ Daichan, 42, in his jail cell. Daichan and his wife for over 20 years were living in an abusive relationship for quite a while.
Roshinie Narine, 40, his wife of Lot 30 D’Edward Village, West Bank Berbice, said that he used to abuse her and drank alcohol often. This resulted in her securing a restraining order against Daichan. “The magistrate did put he out the home…and he had a six- month bond.”
The woman claimed that the man violated the restraining order on several occasions, and she kept reporting the matter to the police. He was picked up by police on Thursday after breaching the restraining order, during which he threatened to kill the wife and then hang himself. He subsequently did the latter.
Dr. Veerasammy Ramayya, Psychologist, opined that alcohol; dysfunctional nuclear families whereby one or more parent is absent; persons marrying too young; and easy access to poisons at drug stores and shops are the main causes of the upsurge of suicides in Guyana as a whole.
“The drinking has a lot to do with it. Domestic violence— this is a problem because of the drinking problem and the drugs. This is actually between young people,” the doctor said.
“The suicide rate in Guyana, as I see it, is [due to] lack of spiritual involvement. We don’t have proper counseling in the schools.”
In Black Bush Polder, he added, there is a high incidence of persons drinking poisons. “There are no strict rules as to who can buy poisons in the drug stores.”
“Early marriages, too, are to blame—the couple is not matured enough to handle situations. There are many dysfunctional families; the nuclear family has lost its morality—I would say that there is a 90 per cent absence of religious teachings in the home,” he added.
