Dear Editor,
A recent poll, commissioned by The Caribbean Voice, found that almost everyone interviewed knew of someone who had committed or attempted suicide. Also, almost everyone said they believe suicide can be prevented with timely intervention. However, they feel not enough (resources committed) is being done by the government (Ministry of Health) to address suicide.
Asked if they think suicide can be prevented, 92% said yes 3% said no and 5% had no response.
Do you think suicide can be prevented?
Yes No Not Sure
92 3 5
Asked if they would be willing to try to prevent someone from committing suicide if they know the person is thinking of doing so, 96% said yes, with no one saying no and 4% not offering a response.
According to Norkah Carter, head of The Caribbean Voice’s technical team, what could or would they (people) be willing to do to help their community? And/or would they join an organization to help their community with respect to suicide prevention. Norkah added that if almost everyone knows/knew someone who has committed suicide, and would intervene why does “the suicide rate continues to rise… something is wrong.” And she asked whether the participants are unable to provide effective interventions or they just don’t know what to do. She also speculated that perhaps people are waiting for the government to solve this problem because they feel so helpless that they stop believing they are capable of doing something effective.
If you know someone who is thinking of committing suicide, would you be willing to try to prevent that person from doing so?
Yes No Not Sure
96 0 4
The poll also found that almost everyone interviewed was aware of at least one person who had suffered or was suffering from domestic abuse. When asked if they would intervene to stop domestic abuse if they see it occurring, respondents were divided with 66% saying no, because it’s not their business, 19% saying yes and 15% not sure, but may intervene depending on the situation.
If you see someone abusing his or her partner would you intervene to stop it?
Yes No Not Sure
66 19 15
Most people said they don’t wish to get involved in husband-wife quarrels, pointing out that the intermediary agent usually ends up being the enemy especially if/after the partners resolve their differences. This perspective is an old one that still seems to hold a lot of currency both in Guyana and the diaspora.
Guyana is ranked first in suicides per capita worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Guyana suffers 44.2 suicides per 100,000 persons per year. In effect there are about 333 suicides per year in a population of about three quarters of a million persons. At a globally estimated 25 attempts per suicide, Guyana would have over 6660 attempted suicides a year. Also suicide is the leading cause of death among young people ages 15-24 and the third leading cause of death among persons aged 25-44, while in the 15-19 age group, it is the leading cause of death among females and the second leading cause of death among males.
Suicide is usually triggered by copycatting, a practice referred to as the Werther Effect; alcoholism; abusive and dysfunctional relationships; lack of empathetic communication and teenage affairs and pregnancy. In fact, Guyana has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the Caribbean with an estimated 97 teenage girls between the ages of 15-19 out of 1000 becoming pregnant each year. Also, the average Guyanese drinker consumes 13.7 litres of pure alcohol each year with 6.1% of the population considered heavy drinkers (2010 figures). With respect to domestic violence, of the more than 60 per cent of women who were involved in a relationship or union, 27.7 per cent reported physical abuse, 26.3 per cent had experienced verbal abuse and 12.7 per cent experienced sexual violence (media reports, year not given).
All women who are victims of domestic violence are at risk of being murdered by their abusers. Last year, twenty-nine domestic violence-related murders occurred in 2013, with 21 of the victims being women and girls. Six of the victims were children, with the youngest being eight months old and the oldest 15. In addition, two 17-year-old girls were among the victims. And, in a number of cases, the perpetrators of these murders ended up committing suicide. In fact, the nexus between suicide and domestic violence is significant. Also, one out of every four women who are the victims of domestic violence, attempt suicide.
The poll randomly interviewed 410 respondents, to yield a demographically representative sample (44% Indians, 30% Africans, 16% Mixed, 9% Amerindians, and 1% other races) of the population. The poll was conducted in face-to-face interviews and was coordinated by New York-based pollster Dr Vishnu Bisram. The results of the poll were analyzed at a 95 per cent significance level with a statistical sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Yours faithfully,
Bibi Ahamad
Managing Director
Caribbean Voice
