September 10th is a big day for Belizeans but it is also an important day for the mental health unit. World Suicide Prevention Day is celebrated on the 10th and to make sure it doesn't get overshadowed by all the September festivities, a special flag raising ceremony was held today at the Battlefield Park. Head of the Mental Health Unit, Eleanor Bennett told us more about this observance and updated us on the latest suicide statistics.
Eleanor Bennett, Head of Mental Health Unit
"It is very important for us to observe World Suicide Prevention day, now of course at the Ministry of Health our job is to preserve life and promote heath and we are very concerned when people don't want to live so suicide is a particular area of concern for us so we have a lot of activities geared towards the prevention of suicide so we are taking this opportunity on World Suicide Prevention Day to raise a flag and it has a lot of meaning but the most important one is to bring awareness so you know when you raise a flag you want people to pay attention and we are hoping that at least on this day that people will stop and think and then hopefully it starts a conversation and even those who are having suicidal thoughts we hope that this day brings the awareness that suicide and depression that underlies suicide is a treatable mental disorder and they can get some help."
Reporter
"Based on the statistics, there has been a consistent trend of more males committing suicide, we have gotten updates on that, is that still the case, or now we are seeing more children ? Could you give us an update on the statistics so far, maybe between last year and this year?"
Eleanor Bennett, Head of Mental Health Unit
"Okay so between last year and this year we saw a decrease in the rate of suicide and we are of course as the trend is more men die by suicide, of every 5, 4 who die by suicide are males and this is the trend all over the world and this is because of one, how we look for help and the methods that people choose to kill themselves. So we are very concerned about men and we are focusing a little bit of this campaign on the issue of male suicide hopefully to get the men to start to think that it is okay to express your feelings and it is okay to ask for help and it is not okay to suffer in silence."
While men are the center of this campaign, the unit is also looking to reach out to adolescents and kids. The very troubling suicide case involving the 7 year old Seine Bight boy Antwone Marin brought into sharp focus to the reality of child depression.
Eleanor Bennett
"That case down south that I think it was ruled a suicide. I am sure it is extremely devastating for the family and my heart goes out for them and I have prayed for that family and I will continue to pray for them. It is hard when someone dies by suicide but it is even harder and more shocking when it is a child because of course they have not really started to live so it is a concern for us, definitely it is a concern for us at the Ministry. We are trying to understand why our young people are thinking about killing themselves. We do recognize that there is a variety of issues that they are dealing with and we are in the beginning stages of getting together important stakeholder to help us develop a plan or an approach in comprehensive services for adolescence and young children and so yes it is definitely a concern for us at the Ministry of Health."
The World Suicide Prevention Flag was raised all over the country today.
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