By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Chief Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas Crisis Centre has seen an increase in calls this year from young boys expressing suicidal thoughts, with many reporting feelings of isolation and failure.
“We are very concerned about what’s happening in the country and the impact on boys, and for the last three years, we’ve been doing a symposium on the boy child and talking about how you protect the emotional life,” Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson, director of the Crisis Centre, said on Friday.
On February 18, 2025, police said the body of Nikolai Sarles, a prominent real estate professional, was found shot dead in Grand Bahama in what officers suspect to be an apparent suicide.
Days later, officers reported the suspected suicide of a 39-year-old man at a residence on Fritz Lane, off East Street.
On Friday, Dr Dean-Patterson highlighted the need for a targeted approach to tackle the issue, urging communities to be more attentive to the emotional needs of males and to encourage open discussions about mental health.
“If we are serious about stopping it, we have to not only have things that make the perpetrator accountable, but we have to have things in place that support boys’ health,” she told reporters.
The Tribune previously reported that the Bahamas Crisis Centre’s hotline saw an increase in calls in 2024 compared to 2023, especially about suicidal thoughts.
At the time, Dr Dean-Patterson said most callers had been experiencing violence in the home or were being abused or under a lot of stress.
Police statistics released last month showed that suicides increased by 33 percent in 2024, while attempted suicides decreased by 38 percent. Eight people committed suicide in 2024, up from six in 2023. There were 50 attempted suicides in 2024, down from 80 in 2023.
Comments
joeblow 4 weeks ago
... the problem is a simple one, the solution more complex! The vast majority of Bahamians are into baby making, not loving, nurturing and raising children. They fail to give them what they need at the most critical stages of their lives and then wonder why they are anti-social, sociopathic and psychopathic!
It's past time for this nation to turn back to God, because this other way just isn't working!
Twocent 4 weeks ago
I agree with the need to address social issues. However, the latest science can also shed some light on how we might also address the rising rates of mental illness, violence, and suicide. The approach is a physiological one gained by a deeper understanding of how we have affected our lives with these deep negative impacts. Inflammation leads to disease, physical and mental. Our modern world has introduced many inflammatory agents, the list grows. But one that has personally affected my life is MOLD! Growing research coming out of Hurricane Katrina’s effects and the the toll on those living in military housing is helping specialists like Dr Amen understand the neurobiological changes caused by the fungi that can overwhelm our health. Molds produce mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are neurotoxic agents that can lead to a variety of neurological impairments and effects, including the “mold rage” I have personally experienced, the domestic violence I am aware of, the psychosis a cousin experienced, and the suicidal thoughts and attempts of two distant family members. Mold loves The Bahamas and it’s humid climate. It loves the aftermath of a hurricane and all the rain damage. It loves our cheep building materials, namely sheet rock, and it loves our warmth! Not all people exposed get neurological symptoms, and those who do experience a wide range of signs; some causing misdiagnosis for decades. Mental health, especially suicide, are subjects we can rationally, and openly talk about now without the stigma once associated with them. There are treatments that avoid the use of psycho-chemicals that list suicide as a side effect! There are causes that are biological in many cases, and understanding our biological responses is bringing hope. Let’s shed the light on them and come out of the darkness of ignorance.
birdiestrachan 3 weeks, 6 days ago
It is important to build people up let them know that God loves them .to many young black men are brought down .
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