Minor Suicides: Mental Health and Suicide in Jamaica

Minor Suicides – The impact of COVID-19 has left many children frustrated, anxious, or depressed…and some suffering from mental health issues. More so because with quarantine comes isolation. 

With the harsh economic collapse and COVID-19 now the world’s new reality, there has been an increase in suicidal deaths. The death rates are not only up among adults but also for children. According to an article from the World Health Organization (WHO), there are new guidelines recommending a set of psychological interventions to promote mental health among adolescents aged ten to nineteen years. 

 Mental health is a major issue for adolescents. Up to half of all mental health conditions start before age fourteen. And suicide is the third leading cause of death in fifteen to nineteen years old.

With Jamaica mourning two minors who recently committed suicide, what mechanisms can be put in place to help children to cope? And what are the signs that one can look out for in a child to intervene effectively? 

Javine Mclean explores what can be done about mental health among the nation’s youth.