Suicides down, cyberbullying still an issue

HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says the suicide rate has been going down thanks to interventions by the ministry, but the issue of cyberbullying and suicide has to be addressed.

Speaking in the House on Wednesday he provided statistics from the police on suicide: 106 in 2012, 113 in 2013, 104 in 2014 and 111 in 2015. Deyalsingh said because of the implementation of measures in 2016 it dropped to 90, rose to 103 in 2017 and up to November 2018 it was 69.

"So the rates are actually coming down over the past two to three years, because at the ministry we are paying significant attention to the issue of mental health."

zBut Deyalsingh expressed concern about cyberbullying and suicide, and said it has the potential to get out of control.

"This is an issue that this country has to deal with."

He was responding to a question from Oropouche West MP Vidia Gayadeen-Gopeesingh on the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) reporting that TT has the third highest suicide rate in the English-speaking Caribbean and what measures were being implemented to treat with the local suicide rate.

Deyalsingh said the Health Ministry has been working with PAHO to develop a multi-sectoral national suicide prevention strategy that identifies key measures to be implemented and undertaken. He said current initiatives included having people who present with signs of attempted suicide at the accident and emergency departments of public health facilities treated and seen by liaison psychiatrists on the ward with access to counselling, support groups and psychotropic medication for the necessary social-work intervention.