KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -The chief government officer of the Nationwide Parenting Assist Fee (NPSC), Kaysia Kerr, on Monday, appealed to oldsters to pay shut consideration to modifications of their kids’s behaviour amid a rise in scholar suicides.
“In case your little one begins to behave otherwise, don’t dismiss it as typical teenage behaviour. Examine in a loving and non-threatening manner. Youngsters have to really feel protected sufficient to talk,” Kerr instructed the Jamaica Info Service (JIS), including that behavioural shifts, whether or not delicate or excessive, will be early indicators of emotional misery or trauma.
The NPSC senior official mentioned there have been a number of warning indicators that folks ought to monitor, together with sudden bedwetting in youthful kids; modifications in urge for food or sleep patterns; elevated restlessness or lethargy; withdrawal from social interplay; heightened agitation, anxiousness, or hyperactivity; and strange body-hiding behaviors or extended staring spells.
“Each little one copes otherwise. Don’t assume that what is going on at college is only a part. If you’re uncertain or confused by what you might be seeing, search assist instantly,” she mentioned.
The Jamaica Constabulary Pressure (JCF) mentioned it needed to attract nationwide consideration to what it described as “a regarding pattern” in suicide instances recorded throughout the island this yr.
In response to the JCF, between January and September 2025, a complete of 44 suicides had been recorded, in comparison with 53 instances for a similar interval final yr, representing a 16.9 per cent year-on-year decline.
“At face worth, this decline seems constructive; nevertheless, the month-to-month breakdown reveals a troubling sample. Suicides had been persistently decrease within the first six months of 2025 in contrast with 2024, however the second half of the yr has seen a reversal. July 2025 recorded eight suicides – a 33 per cent improve over July 2024 – whereas August and September rose by 20 per cent and 25 per cent respectively in contrast with the identical months final yr,” the JCF mentioned.
It mentioned that whereas the overwhelming majority of suicides stay amongst males, there are indications that suicides amongst ladies, whereas nonetheless comparatively low, could also be edging upwards.
“This alerts the necessity for pressing gender-sensitive interventions, as ladies’s experiences with self-harm typically differ and could also be linked to home, relational, or social elements that require tailor-made responses,” the JCF mentioned, including that coordinated motion is urgently wanted to strengthen group resilience, present counselling and assist providers, and reply successfully to the vulnerabilities that could be driving these will increase.
Kerr mentioned she is encouraging mother and father to succeed in out to trusted professionals, comparable to pastors, docs, lecturers, or college steerage counsellors, and to make the most of assets just like the NPSC and the Workplace of the Youngsters’s Advocate (OCA), which operates a 24-hour helpline.
“These traces are lifelines. They’re protected areas for youngsters to speak freely, with out concern of punishment or judgment,” Kerr mentioned, stressing the significance of parental instinct, particularly amongst moms.
“If one thing feels fallacious, belief your instincts. Don’t delay. Early intervention can save lives,” she added.
