GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Well being Minister Dr. Franck Anthony has informed media practitioners that they’ve a vital function in stopping suicides in Guyana. This nation has among the many highest suicide charges on this planet.
Anthony informed a two-day coaching workshop that the federal government has taken steps to forestall suicide within the nation by selling prevention.
Nonetheless, he informed the viewers that media professionals should be accountable when disseminating data associated to suicide and psychological well being.
The workshop is being hosted by the Guyana Press Affiliation (GPA) in collaboration with the Pan American Well being Group/World Well being Group (PAHO/WHO). It focuses on reporting responsibly concerning psychological well being, suicide, and trauma.
In 2019, Guyana had the second-highest suicide fee on this planet at an estimated mortality fee of 40.3 deaths per 100,000 individuals. As well as, roughly 20,000 individuals are battling a number of psychological diseases in Guyana.
The Suicide Prevention Act, handed within the Nationwide Meeting 2022, ensures accountable reporting. This contains charging individuals or an entity for revealing the names of victims who died by suicide, the tactic they used, and even the situation the place it occurred. These important elements should be thought-about when reporting suicide circumstances and psychological well being.
“We’ve got to watch out about what we’re publishing. We’ve got to watch out. This isn’t censorship; that is being accountable. I believe there’s a large distinction between censorship and being accountable as a result of all of us reside on this society, and we wish these numbers to go down,” the Well being Minister informed the workshop.
He mentioned that the media can bridge the knowledge hole between medical professionals and most of the people in psychological well being, suicide prevention, and even different health-related points.
“That is essential, whether or not it psychological well being, whether or not its what we promote and what we eat, it’s one thing that we ought to have a look at,” he mentioned.
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