Life of suicides being probed to determine causes
Written by Kwesi Isles Friday, 09 September 2011 21:39
A candlelight ceremony was held Friday evening to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.
Guyana has added a sociological post mortem to its programmes aimed at understanding the drivers of suicide Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has said. “Right now we are conducting a study called the follow back study which is a post mortem on a person’s life, not the usual post mortem that looks for biological causes but an auditing of someone’s life to find out the emotional and psychological scars that are driving people to end their lives.”
The minister was addressing a small group which had gathered in the Main Street Avenue Friday evening for a candlelight ceremony to mark World Suicide Prevention Day being observed on Saturday. According to Dr. Ramsammy, the suicide rate in Guyana is approaching a downward spiral with between 160 and 170 recorded for the last three years. In the previous three that figure was between 170 and 180, he said. There were some 241 attempted suicides for the first half of the year with Region Six recording the highest number of attempts and actual deaths. “Region Six usually records about 48 successful suicides on an annual basis; at the rate of 12 in the first six months it confirms that the numbers are now approaching a trajectory of a downward trend,” the minister said.
The figures for last year show that 160 people were successful in taking their own lives, the minister revealed while between 800 to 1,000 were unsuccessful. According to statistics from the health ministry, Region Six leads the count with suicides per 100,000 persons in the period 2003-2007 with 50.1; Region Two, 36.2; Region Three, 24.4; Region Five, 22.7; while Region Four recorded 20.4 deaths per 100,000 persons. Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten all recorded below 10 deaths per 100,000 persons with Region Eight recording the lowest at 1.9.
Dr. Ramsammy said that despite the declining figures a downward trend would only become evident after many years of efforts and Guyana’s response has been growing annually. This includes a hotline which is reportedly seeing increasing traffic with as much as 10 calls per day. “These calls come in between eight in the morning and eight in the evening; clearly if we extend the hours we would have many more calls.” Another measure, he said, is the “gatekeeper programme” which is being taken countrywide. “Our ambition is that every citizen, no matter how young no matter how old, no matter what their status in their community, must become a gatekeeper.” He said gatekeepers will be trained to recognise the signs of risks in others and to take action.
The minister said they have also recognised the significant role alcohol plays in suicide and have added substance abuse rehabilitation to its programme. Neuropsychiatric disorders are also being taken into account Dr. Ramsammy said and pointed out that health workers are being trained in those competencies at the primary health care level. “At this very moment eight young nurses are studying to become neuropsychiatric nurse practitioners and they will be providing a first defense within our hospitals and we are developing a programme for doctors to become mental health professionals,” he said.
But according to the minister, governments alone cannot solve the suicide problem. “Whilst it is a public health problem it cannot be solved simply by public health personnel; it must be an effort we all make, a multi-sectoral approach.” Guyana, he added, has played a leading role in recognizing suicide as a public health problem and has placed it on the developmental agenda.
Source
Written by Kwesi Isles Friday, 09 September 2011 21:39
A candlelight ceremony was held Friday evening to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.
Guyana has added a sociological post mortem to its programmes aimed at understanding the drivers of suicide Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has said. “Right now we are conducting a study called the follow back study which is a post mortem on a person’s life, not the usual post mortem that looks for biological causes but an auditing of someone’s life to find out the emotional and psychological scars that are driving people to end their lives.”
The minister was addressing a small group which had gathered in the Main Street Avenue Friday evening for a candlelight ceremony to mark World Suicide Prevention Day being observed on Saturday. According to Dr. Ramsammy, the suicide rate in Guyana is approaching a downward spiral with between 160 and 170 recorded for the last three years. In the previous three that figure was between 170 and 180, he said. There were some 241 attempted suicides for the first half of the year with Region Six recording the highest number of attempts and actual deaths. “Region Six usually records about 48 successful suicides on an annual basis; at the rate of 12 in the first six months it confirms that the numbers are now approaching a trajectory of a downward trend,” the minister said.
The figures for last year show that 160 people were successful in taking their own lives, the minister revealed while between 800 to 1,000 were unsuccessful. According to statistics from the health ministry, Region Six leads the count with suicides per 100,000 persons in the period 2003-2007 with 50.1; Region Two, 36.2; Region Three, 24.4; Region Five, 22.7; while Region Four recorded 20.4 deaths per 100,000 persons. Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten all recorded below 10 deaths per 100,000 persons with Region Eight recording the lowest at 1.9.
Dr. Ramsammy said that despite the declining figures a downward trend would only become evident after many years of efforts and Guyana’s response has been growing annually. This includes a hotline which is reportedly seeing increasing traffic with as much as 10 calls per day. “These calls come in between eight in the morning and eight in the evening; clearly if we extend the hours we would have many more calls.” Another measure, he said, is the “gatekeeper programme” which is being taken countrywide. “Our ambition is that every citizen, no matter how young no matter how old, no matter what their status in their community, must become a gatekeeper.” He said gatekeepers will be trained to recognise the signs of risks in others and to take action.
The minister said they have also recognised the significant role alcohol plays in suicide and have added substance abuse rehabilitation to its programme. Neuropsychiatric disorders are also being taken into account Dr. Ramsammy said and pointed out that health workers are being trained in those competencies at the primary health care level. “At this very moment eight young nurses are studying to become neuropsychiatric nurse practitioners and they will be providing a first defense within our hospitals and we are developing a programme for doctors to become mental health professionals,” he said.
But according to the minister, governments alone cannot solve the suicide problem. “Whilst it is a public health problem it cannot be solved simply by public health personnel; it must be an effort we all make, a multi-sectoral approach.” Guyana, he added, has played a leading role in recognizing suicide as a public health problem and has placed it on the developmental agenda.
Source