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- Sep 30, 2011
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GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The Indian Action Committee (IAC) has called on the Government of Guyana to declare suicide a national priority.
The IAC said while it is heartened by the recent emergency meeting convened by President David Granger with some members of his Cabinet to discuss the issue, “there is an urgent need for the necessary infrastructure to be established”.
The IAC noted that the country’s suicide battle was hamstrung by an inadequate number of psychologists, but remained confident that a declaration of ‘National Priority’ would aid in boosting current efforts and presents an opportunity for attracting additional local and international support.
“This further underscores our request for a swift declaration and calls on civil society to lend support to this call.”
Indian organisation urges Guyana to declare suicide a national priority - News
They have the highest suicide rate in the world.
At a staggering rate of 44.2 suicides per 100,000 people (the global average is 16 per 100,000) the small nation of Guyana in South America has the highest rate of suicide in the world. And with fewer than 10 full-time psychiatrists in the country, a shortage of social workers or psychologists and no operating crisis hotline, there are limited options for those seeking help.
No one factor can explain Guyana’s shockingly high suicide rate. Health workers have pointed to the deep poverty in rural areas, the prevalence of alcohol abuse (which is notorious for its contribution to successful suicides) and the ease of access to deadly substances. Some scholars have theorised that exposure to certain herbicides and pesticides used in the country makes farmers more prone to suicidal behaviour.
Because of a strong stigma and a lack of resources in Guyana, suicide as a public health issue has fallen by the wayside. Efforts by the ministry of health in the last few years have been nominal, and those interventions that have taken place seem misguided at best.
Guyana: mental illness, witchcraft, and the highest suicide rate in the world
The IAC said while it is heartened by the recent emergency meeting convened by President David Granger with some members of his Cabinet to discuss the issue, “there is an urgent need for the necessary infrastructure to be established”.
The IAC noted that the country’s suicide battle was hamstrung by an inadequate number of psychologists, but remained confident that a declaration of ‘National Priority’ would aid in boosting current efforts and presents an opportunity for attracting additional local and international support.
“This further underscores our request for a swift declaration and calls on civil society to lend support to this call.”
Indian organisation urges Guyana to declare suicide a national priority - News
They have the highest suicide rate in the world.
At a staggering rate of 44.2 suicides per 100,000 people (the global average is 16 per 100,000) the small nation of Guyana in South America has the highest rate of suicide in the world. And with fewer than 10 full-time psychiatrists in the country, a shortage of social workers or psychologists and no operating crisis hotline, there are limited options for those seeking help.
No one factor can explain Guyana’s shockingly high suicide rate. Health workers have pointed to the deep poverty in rural areas, the prevalence of alcohol abuse (which is notorious for its contribution to successful suicides) and the ease of access to deadly substances. Some scholars have theorised that exposure to certain herbicides and pesticides used in the country makes farmers more prone to suicidal behaviour.
Because of a strong stigma and a lack of resources in Guyana, suicide as a public health issue has fallen by the wayside. Efforts by the ministry of health in the last few years have been nominal, and those interventions that have taken place seem misguided at best.
Guyana: mental illness, witchcraft, and the highest suicide rate in the world
