SOCIAL

ISSUE:
SUICIDE
By Alex Pearce, Ichmael Pitter and Malcolm Ralph
 What is suicide?

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one’s own

death. Close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year.
For every suicide there are many more people who attempt
suicide each year. Reports say in the Caribbean, Trinidad and
Tobago has the third-highest suicide rate regionally with a
person dying to suicide every four days. If you or someone
you know may be at risk of committing suicide, contact
emergency services in your area immediately to get
professional advice.
 What causes Suicide
While the causes of suicide are unknown, some common risk factors
include:
• Major psychiatric illness- in particular mood, disorders (eg. Depression,
bipolar disorder, schizophrenia)
• Significant losses in a person’s life, such as the death of a loved one, loss
of an important relative/friend, loss of employment and self-esteem.
 Effects of suicide
Suicide affects the mental health of those around you.
• Some family members might blame themselves for the suicide. If they dismissed or
didn’t pay enough attention to the late relative when they may have opened up about
their possible depression or suicidal thoughts, Although only the late family member is
responsible for the choice to take their life, they may blame themselves and question
their abilities as caregivers and even family knowing they failed to realize the severity
and take action to help.
• Suicide may result in further suicide. Relatives, lovers and friends would all have terrible
reactions to death by suicide of someone they care about. They may develop issues
towards their health like depression and anxiety which could possibly have them develop
suicidal thoughts of their own which leads to continuous suicide.
 Actions that could be taken
Suicide is a major problem in Jamaica. Of all death 2.10% is suicide. Some
measures that can be put in place are:
• Strengthening the economic support
• Teaching coping skills
• Identify and support those at risk
 Actions that could be taken Pt.2
Why they would work
• One of the reasons people commit suicide is because they don’t have the money to
support their families and so they feel that their families would be better off without
them. But if we strengthen economics supports this would cut down on the issue as it
would be easier to provide and support the family and they wouldn’t feel like a
burden.
• Teaching coping skills in schools is another way. If a person is able to cope with their
depression and other issues, they are less likely to commit suicide. If the government
sent representatives to schools to explain different methods and actions people have
used and they could possibly use to cope with their situations it could help them in
the long run.
My own tale, in this regard, is some evidence. My mother killed herself when I was six
(she was bipolar); my uncle, aunt, and grandmother killed themselves when I was much
older. My brother killed himself ten years ago. Without going into details or surmise about
the particular nature of the illnesses that lead to these deaths, suffice it to say that my own
life has been a long, long battle with the anger, guilt, loss, and depression that these
suicides brought to my doorstep.
That I myself have not killed myself is thought, by many who know me, to be a miracle.
But that is not the case. The fact is that I sought treatment fairly early on. I received good
care. Medication and psychotherapy helped me through all the years. I have never seriously
considered ending my life by suicide. I am lucky.