GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Health Minister Dr. Franck Anthony has told media practitioners that they have an essential role in preventing suicides in Guyana. This country has among the highest suicide rates in the world.
Anthony told a two-day training workshop that the government has taken steps to prevent suicide in the country by promoting prevention.
However, he told the audience that media professionals must be responsible when disseminating information related to suicide and mental health.
The workshop is being hosted by the Guyana Press Association (GPA) in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). It focuses on reporting responsibly regarding mental health, suicide, and trauma.
In 2019, Guyana had the second-highest suicide rate in the world at an estimated mortality rate of 40.3 deaths per 100,000 people. In addition, approximately 20,000 people are battling several mental illnesses in Guyana.
The Suicide Prevention Act, passed in the National Assembly 2022, ensures responsible reporting. This includes charging persons or an entity for revealing the names of victims who died by suicide, the method they used, and even the location where it occurred. These essential factors must be considered when reporting suicide cases and mental health.
“We have to be careful about what we’re publishing. We have to be careful. This is not censorship; this is being responsible. I think there is a big difference between censorship and being responsible because we all live in this society, and we want those numbers to go down,” the Health Minister told the workshop.
He said that the media can bridge the information gap between medical professionals and the general public in mental health, suicide prevention, and even other health-related issues.
“This is important, whether it mental health, whether its what we promote and what we eat, it is something that we ought to look at,” he said.
and then 