BRIDGETOWN, 03 July 2023 — Earlier today we were made aware of the death of another young person in Barbados by suicide. We join the entire nation in mourning this loss, and expressing our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and community of the deceased. Death, particularly under tragic circumstances, can cause us to feel quite shaken and disoriented, and leave us questioning what more we could have done to prevent it.
While a death by suicide will create much public uncertainty, we must remember that there is a family in mourning; there are friends in pain; and, there are others out there fighting silent battles against intrusive thoughts, depressed mood, and deteriorating mental health.
We know that this sad event comes on the heels of a similar occurrence just 5 days ago, and is part of a worrying trend. We take this opportunity to call on our government and civil society partners to take urgent action to build hope, expand access to mental health and psychosocial support services, boost mental health literacy, prioritize the mental well-being of youth, and save young lives.
We can never know all the reasons why a person takes their own life, but, we can all become advocates and take meaningful action to prevent suicide. That can look like learning and flagging the warning signs, showing up for our loved ones, normalizing help-seeking behaviour, and demanding that government takes preventative action, in the first case, by funding a 24/7/365 mental health crisis and suicide prevention hotline.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please know that the bravest, kindest thing you can do is reach out for help. You can find and download a comprehensive list of mental health resources in Barbados at this link: bit.ly/mentalhealth246. Please help us to build hope by sharing this link across your social media and in your circles.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by this tragedy, and we stand ready to render support in any way that we can.
Sincerely,
The Let's Unpack It Team