RHONDOR DOWLAT Saturday, September 23 2006

FOURTEEN percent of our schools’ population suffer from depression, with the likelihood of most of them becoming suicidal.

This alarming statistic has been revealed by psychiatrist Dr Hari Maharajh, head of the Department of Psychiatry of the University of the West Indies, Mount Hope.

In a recent documented study titled, “Social Predictors of Suicidal Behaviour in Adolescents in TT,” Maharajh stated that children who live in “reconstituted” families, in which parents divorce and re-marry, were more prone to become depressed.

Those who live in homes where the families are “intact,” experienced the lowest rate of suicide/suicidal tendencies.

Maharajh’s statistics compilation showed that the rate of suicide among children who live in “intact families” was 6.1 percent. But for children living with relatives other than their parents, it was 8.3 percent. The statistics are as follows: 9.6 percent (one parent); 14.6 pecent (single parent) 16.7 percent (single step-parent).

Revealing some of the major precipitants for self-harm or attempted suicide in adolescence, Maharajh said, “Fights with a girlfriend/boyfriend, high rates of depression and psychiatric disorders, truancy, abuse and behavioural problems, family dysfunction and previous exposure to suicidal behaviour.”

A study was also carried out in adolescent depression, in which, in most cases, the individual became suicidal. Adolescent students from a stratified random sample of 1,845, from 24 schools were administered questionnaires requesting demographic information and responses to the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale.

Maharajh said that of the samples taken, 14 percent were depressed. “Depression was 2.18 times more likely to occur in females than males (17.9 vs 8.2 percent). The peak age was 16 years with a rate of 15.9 percent.”

According to a recent United Nations (UN) report from the committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of Trinidad and Tobago, the rate of suicide between 1971 to 1998 had increased by more than two-and-a-half times. Two-thirds of deaths concerning teenagers between 15 and 25 years were either murders or acts of suicide.

The UN report also revealed that the number of students attending secondary schools, that committed suicide, was three-and-a-half times higher than those completing elementary schools.

Last week Thursday a 13-year-old student of a school in Princes Town was coaxed out of drinking a bottle of poison. The teenager who lived with his mother and step father in New Grant, told police that he was distressed over domestic problems at home.

Suggesting a solution for the alarming problem and pre-mature death in the adolescent age group, Maharajh said that there should be proper programmes structured within the school system by the respective stakeholders.

“There may be programmes but not proper ones. There needs to be intensive counselling and guidance sessions for the troubled adolescents.

Even follow-up sessions to ensure that they have fully recovered from that depressed state or suicidal zone. Too many of them are just slipping through our hands” Maharajh said.