KINGSTON, Jamaica – Three high schools in the Corporate Area have given the assurance that systems are in place to help students they consider at risk for suicidal behaviour.

OBSERVER ONLINE on Thursday contacted the schools following statistics revealed in a survey done by the Ministry of Health in 2013. The results showed that 20 per cent of children in second to fifth forms at secondary institutions were at risk for suicidal behaviour.

Guidance counsellor of the Calabar High School on Red Hills Road in St Andrew, Melody Johnson, explained that they are tackling this “creeping phenomenon” with a few basic steps.

“If a child is identified as being suicidal, we immediately refer them to the Child Guidance Clinic at the University of the West Indies. However, if the case is that the child has made an attempt on his/her life we immediately have a clinical psychologist/psychiatrist assigned to that child,” she explained.

Johnson said too that therapeutic interventions are sometimes used, depending on the nature of the case.

Jamaica College also has a similar system according to their guidance counsellor Nova Henry. 

“We meet with the child to get background information and try to find the possible causes for such drastic measures by the child. After that is done, immediate referral of the child is made to a counselling psychologist,” Henry explained.

“With this referral we also include the parents/guardians of the child as we believe it is a collective effort in getting help for the child,” she added.

The Constant Spring Road-based all-girls school Immaculate Conception High, does things differently.

Opal Pyke-Leair, the school’s guidance counsellor, told OBSERVER ONLINE that the phenomenon is a teenage problem.

“At our school, we speak about suicide in general to the older students, as we don’t wish to scare the younger students nor do we wish to put any ideas in their heads,” she said Thursday.

“It is not something that can be dealt with on a large level, as teenagers are copycats,” she continued. “For the most part, we deal with this issue on an individual basis, partnering with the parents/guardians. We integrate the parents/guardians because they have to be on watch, observing the child when they leave school, as it is a collective effort.”

Pyke-Leair added: “Much emphasis is placed on teachers.” At the start of the school year Dr Donovan Thomas, who is president of Choose Life International, shares with the teachers the ways to identify students who may be suicidal.”

Moya Hinds