Support needed as suicide among Guyana’s Indigenous peoples rising

The International Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies at the University of Guyana recently hosted a panel discussion on suicide prevention under the theme “Creating Hope Through Action.”

The event brought together key mental health experts to address the evolving landscape of suicide in Guyana and the steps being taken to implement the National Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2024-2030. Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Mark Constantine, who was one of the speakers, revealed a shift in a high number of suicide cases from Indo-Guyanese to Indigenous Guyanese.

And so, he emphasised the need for research to understand the factors driving this change.

“In Guyana, while we would have seen significantly, a high number of suicide cases among Indo-Guyanese, of recent times there has been a shift where we have seen a tremendous spike in numbers among the Indigenous population as well and so the research needs to be done to find out why that shift,” Dr. Constantine stated while noting that culture plays a significant role in suicide.

Accessibility to mental health services, Dr. Constantine noted, is important for the implementation of the national action plan. He revealed that efforts are underway to decentralise mental health support and place professionals in previously underserved areas across the country.

“There was once a time where the mental health unit at Quamina Street [Georgetown] is where everyone came who needed any sort of mental health support or services,” Dr. Constantine noted.

But over the last year and half this has changed tremendously with the services taken to other parts of the country.

“We hope that by the time we get to 2030, we would have successfully covered all 10 administrative regions,” Dr. Constantine said. He believe that access to mental health services is of crucial importance to every citizen.

Suicide remains a significant concern, Dr. Constantine explained noting that there is no single cause but many contributing factors.

“A lot of things that we point out every so often as being causes to suicide is not necessarily the cause it would have been the trigger to the cause.

“From working with folks over the many years who would have attempted suicide and survivors, and even for those who would have lost their loves ones to suicide, they would say to you is sometimes what we believe to be suicide and the cause would have just been the trigger. There is no one answer to why people commit suicide,” Dr. Constantine explained.

Meanwhile, Advisor on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health at PAHO/WHO Guyana, Dr. Natasha Sobers further reinforced the link between mental health and national well-being. She pointed out the societal loss when young people die by suicide and highlighted the economic impact of neglecting mental health.

“If we have persons dying by suicide at young ages, in the prime of their lives that really is a loss to society. Our investment case for mental health clearly demonstrates that the wealth of the nation is compromised if we also do not invest in good mental health,” Dr. Sobers said.

The Investment Case for mental health was done in collaboration with PAHO/WHO and the ministry of health with some initiatives already being implemented.

Dr. Sobers further revealed that a suicide surveillance system is also in the pipeline to help with future prevention strategies.

“We want to work with the ministry in terms of setting up a suicide surveillance system and getting that going as well,” Dr. Sobers said.

She further underscored the need for a multifaceted approach to suicide prevention that addresses individual, relationship, community, and societal factors.

“It is important that we think about all of these causes and consider how all of these causes contribute because then and only then can we start to think about prevention.”