Lack of communication contributes to suicide in Guyana – UNICEF

Children participating in focus groups, conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has indicated that communication gaps at home and in schools are implicit factors that drive suicide among youths. unicef
This was found in a report released by UNICEF, which stated that children and adolescents in Guyana do not have a good channel of communication with adults, including parents, relatives and teachers at school.
It said further that schools do not have counsellors to help those boys and girls that are experiencing difficult situations. It was noted by the teens that suicide is prevalent in the region “they live in (and in the country) due to youth’s inability to cope with problems.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), suicidal behaviour often occurs as a response to personal psychological stress in a social context where sources of support are lacking. It added that isolation occurs when a person feels disconnected from his or her closest social circle: partners, family members and friends; while persons who share close personal and enduring relationships typically have a sense of purpose, security and connectedness.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud had earlier in the year indicated that many cases of suicide in adolescent and young adults in Guyana are linked to a “shunning” by their families. He stated that many times parents would not approve of a relationship or ban a child from doing what he or she wants instead of talking to them and listening to them.
Suicide is the seventh leading cause of death in Guyana, with a mortality rate of 44.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, positioning the country as the highest prevalence in the world – the global average is 16/100,000 (WHO, 2014b).
Between 2006 and 2008, suicide was the leading cause of mortality among persons between 15 and 24 years old: 22.4 per cent of the deaths that occurred in that group were due to suicide (PAHO, 2012).
There have been many factors linked to the epidemic, including domestic violence and easy access to deadly substances – one of the most frequently used suicide methods in the country is the ingestion of pesticide.
UNICEF noted further that a lack of economic perspectives is considered to be very influential in the decision of some youth to take their own life. “The fact that jobs are difficult in the country – as mentioned, unemployment rate for the youth population is much higher than the country average – influences the present behavioural state of the youth, and creates doubts about the future perspectives in terms of work, family and relationships,” it said.
“Some young people cannot handle the pressure and suicide becomes the only way out,” the report added.
According to the 2010 Global School Survey for Guyana, 23 per cent of the children between ages 13 and 15 had seriously considered attempting suicide in the 12 months previous to the survey (19 per cent for boys and 29 per cent for girls).
Besides, the same survey shows that only 37 per cent of the students interviewed to the survey considered that their parents understood their problems and worries (38 per cent for boys and 36 per cent for girls), indicating there is the need to further investigate and strengthen the relationship between parents and their children.