GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – Guyana, one of the countries in the world with a high suicide rate, says it is finalising a new mental health legislation and a Suicide Prevention Bill, as part of efforts to tackle mental health issues and suicide in the country.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said the country’s current legislation dates back to 1934, and while there have been attempts in the past to establish new bills, there has been little success.

“We’re in the process of finalising that law and hopefully we can get it through the various committees and make sure that we can get a new law that governs mental health,” he said.

“The things that are reflected there (in the new bill) is the modern thinking relating to mental health issues and that is what we want to bring to Guyana to make sure that it permeates all the different structures that we have, it must be progressive, it must be modern and we must be able to address the real problems that patients would have.”

Guyana is ranked first in suicides per capita among sovereign nations worldwide. About 40 per cent of people who commit suicide in Guyana poison themselves by consuming agricultural pesticides.

Guyana’s suicide rate for 2019 was 40.30, a 2.03 per cent increase from 2018, while the rate for 2018 was 39.50, a 2.6 per cent increase from 2017.

Anthony said that the government intends to rid society of the stigmatisation attached to mental health and instead help persons to recognise it and offer compassion to persons with such issues.

“It would help persons create that enabling environment so that people would feel welcomed and be able to cope with their illnesses,” Dr Anthony said, noting that early diagnosis and treatment are important and persons should access the services.

“There is nothing wrong with going for counselling, there is nothing wrong with accessing treatment, absolutely nothing wrong with that,” Dr Anthony said.

Apart from the bills, the government has collaborated with Columbia University which will assess the mental health issues in Guyana.

Meanwhile, Dr Anthony said the ministry has collaborated with the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre to offer mental health services to children and that children who have been diagnosed with autism or other spectrum disorders will be able to access adequate care.

Addressing suicide, Dr Anthony said it remains an issue and sometimes the ‘telltale’ signs are missed.

“We need as a society, if we are going to lower the rates of suicide for example, if we are going to reduce the amount of depression that we have, we need to talk to people, and with patients, there are simple tools that can be used by just asking them a few questions you can actually get a sense about some of these illnesses,” he noted.