Suicide and men

Some 76% of all recorded suicides in Guyana are committed by men. This is according to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Health and made public a few weeks ago by Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy. There was some amount of consternation at this announcement and many have queried why this is so. Dr Ramsammy pre-empted some of these questions by revealing at the same press conference where he had made the initial pronouncement, that depression was definitely a factor and another link which seemed to be apparent was alcohol abuse. Forty per cent of the male suicide victims, he said, showed signs of alcohol abuse.

What these statistics reveal also is that Guyana is no different from the rest of the world. Research shows that in most countries, at least those that have published statistics, more men commit suicide than women. Information available on countries like Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom points to a steady increase over the years in the number of men who choose to take their own lives; although in several instances they first murder their spouses and children. There are high rates of suicide and attempted suicide in general in these countries. However, the completion rate for men is four times higher than for women; men are more likely than women to make a second attempt after the first fails, and they are usually successful.

A study conducted in 2001, pointed to suicide as the eighth leading cause of death in the US. A perusal of the statistics also showed that while the rate of male suicides increased, for women it decreased.

Because suicide is linked to mental illness, particularly depression, and because women seem to be more likely to suffer from depression than men, there was an assumption that women would be at a higher risk for suicide. This is obviously not the case. The reason? A fundamental difference between the sexes that has long been seen as a failing or a flaw in women: they like to talk. As one psychiatrist put it, women do not just talk with friends, mentors and older women, they process their experiences, discuss their feelings, seek and take advice. Women are far more likely to visit a doctor, tell him/her how they feel physically as well as mentally and emotionally and accept and use any treatment prescribed.

Men on the other hand, mostly refuse to do any of this. Men have been socialized to believe that they are competent in all areas. If they are less than competent, the more insecure men see themselves as complete failures. They also refuse to ask for help as that would be a further admission of weakness and either become depressed as a result or turn to alcohol, both of which can lead to them taking their own lives.

To deal with the high incidence of suicide in Guyana, Minister Ramsammy said the Health Ministry will attack it from various fronts. Among these would be to develop guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of depression; provide help for substance abusers and restrict access to poisons and pesticides, which are often used here to commit the act.

If any consideration was given to how men would be encouraged to access these services, this was not mentioned. While there is some amount of recognition that more attention needs to be paid to men and the issues which affect them—particularly as these relate to their propensity in some instances for violence, including violence against women; alcoholism and the abuse of illegal drugs—there are no really structured programmes outside of those which may take place in specific religious community settings. There is one known men’s group, which rarely if ever advertises the availability of such programmes, and what is done by the larger NGO community is usually on an ad hoc basis.

In a recent interview with this newspaper, a remigrant couple revealed plans to hold men’s forums as they have recognized that there is a dire need to address men’s problems in a non-judgemental atmosphere. Perhaps this can be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Health so that men who are found to have a predisposition for depression and/or alcoholism could be referred for treatment after they would have reached a stage where they felt comfortable doing so. Offering treatment will only work if the persons at whom it is targeted will accept it.