Suicide-intervention summer camp under way in MoBay
Published:Saturday | July 9, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
MONTEGO BAY-BASED child and family therapist Dr Beverley Scott has taken the bold step towards helping suicidal children in western Jamaica through the staging of a monthlong summer-camp programme.
"Every year we have a summer camp. However, this year we decided to dedicate it to help children who have thoughts about suicide or have repeatedly attempted to take their life," Scott explained.
"This programme is extremely important as we get an opportunity to reach those children that are at risk of committing suicide, and we get to reach the parents also. The children in the summer camp are responding very well. They are now speaking with some hope. They have begun to see that there are alternatives to the problems than killing themselves."
Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that during the period of 1999 to 2009, 1,725 persons were seen and discharged from the accident and emergency departments at government hospitals for attempted suicide.
Within a two-week span in May, three female high-school students in western Jamaica committed suicide.
Necessary intervention
Scott, who is also the executive director of the Family and Parenting Centre, explained that in light of the recent suicide trends in Jamaica, she thought it necessary to intervene.
The Family and Parenting Centre summer camp through its main sponsor, Jamaica Social Investment Fund, addresses self-esteem building, relationship with parents, children dealing with emotional and physical abuse, depression and unsupportive parents.
More than 50 children, aged 13 to 17 years, are participating in the programme that will run from July 4 to July 29.
Scott made an appeal for corporate sponsors to partner with the Family and Parenting Centre as it seeks additional support for the programme.
"This is a yearlong programme focused on emotional problems, but we dedicated a month of the programme toward suicides, because of what we saw happening since the start of the year," she concluded.
"I have to express my gratitude to Jamaica Social Investment Fund, who are our main partners in this exercise to help these young persons, and I want to encourage other persons or companies to come on board."