Suicide continues to be a big problem in T&T.This country used to lead the suicide rate in the English-speaking Caribbean but has now been supplanted by Guyana.People trying to kill themselves and people cutting themselves are also serious problems facing our society.Each year, hundreds of people take their lives because of what they think is unendurable suffering.
"Self-harm behaviour is a big problem," says Prof Gerard Hutchinson, who is head of the Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies (UWI), and head of pyschiatric services at the North-Central Regional Authority.He's been in the field of pyschiatry for over 20 years.
Hutchinson spoke with the Sunday Guardian last Wednesday at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, which houses the psychiatric department of the UWI. He said he believed it was an issue being "swept under the carpet."In a recent statement, Hutchinson said at least 25 per cent of people in Trinidad have "seriously" thought of ending their lives at some point in time.Research done at UWI revealed that 25 per cent of students have either tried to kill themselves or had thought of it.
Hutchinson said the main reason was relationship related. He said T&T was a very "volatile" place emotionally and issues of relationships led to many problems."People respond to these problems by wanting to end their lives," he said.
Females attempt more,men complete more
In suicide demography, females are more "attempters" than males.Females would not drink gramoxone but will drink bleach or kerosene, Hutchinson said."So you find males do more serious things," he said.Currently, there are close to 15 patients on the ward who are being managed; nine of them have tried to kill themselves.He said in the last three weeks there had been three deaths from gramoxone/paraquat poisoning and they were males.
They were young adults between the ages of 20 and 35.Hutchinson said, "Suicide is a big problem in Trinidad and has been a big...in fact, it's less of a problem than it used to be but..."T&T now has the second highest rate per hundred thousand."Suicidal behaviour is a big thing. Going backwards from that, people trying to kill themselves is a big thing," he said.
Three out of four children warded at the Children's Hospital are there because they tried to kill themselves. But he said statistics at the San Fernando General Hospital were worse.Hutchinson said, "If you go to San Fernando it is even worse."In the country, we probably admit about...somewhere between 1,000 to 1,200 a year who have tried to kill themselves."If you look at Port-of-Spain, San Fernando, here...Sangre Grande."It's a real problem."
Cutting and self-harm
On Wednesday, Hutchinson said he saw three people who cut themselves.They were two males and a female.However, he said the statistics "go across the board."Cutting is the layer after suicide. It's people who are not suicidal but are cutting themselves.The reason for cutting?Hutchinson gave this explanation."They all say the same thing. They cut themselves to externalise their internal pain.
"Now...we have had people who cut off their hand, cut off, used a chopper and cut it right off."Hutchinson said he believed that self-harm behaviour was a "big" problem. He referred to it as a hidden secret."If you go and talk to any nurse on the ward now they will tell you about it."If you talk to any doctor who works here they will tell you about it, but the society now, it's as if we don't want to confront that.
"We want to pretend that it is not happening."He said people have cut their necks and stabbed themselves over their bodies.He said the most serious harm was the risk of drinking gramoxone or paraquat.
Suicide is impulsive
People don't think about religion or seeking help. They don't sit and plan. They act impulsively.Hutchinson said, "You get upset, especially women. They see some tablets and take them."It's not like they sit and plan it."Sometimes, too, they take a drink of alcohol which reduces their inhibitions and then that's when they do it."Hutchinson said it ultimately boiled down to impulsivity.He said attempters are usually found by their family and are brought to hospital.
They are seen by doctors to ensure what they've taken wouldn't do permanent damageConsumption of a small bit of paraquat (herbicide) could lead to death, Hutchinson said. He said, "We admit people here (Mt Hope) who come to the hospital with psychiatric problems or potential psychiatric problems and then we admit them."He said devising a treatment process was important for the problems.
Next week: Interview with a patient who attempted suicide and a look at how children harm themselves.