Caribbean seminar: ‘Suicide prevention requires year-round collaboration’
WILLEMSTAD – The Dutch Caribbean Mental Health (DCMH) federation brought together 122 participants at the University of Curaçao on 10 September, World Suicide Prevention Day. Attendees from various islands followed the morning programme via a livestream.
Under the theme ‘Together in Prevention, Together in Hope’, the seminar focused on knowledge sharing and regional collaboration. Presentations addressed suicide prevention from both a local and global perspective, as well as the mental health of young people. The study Regional Picture Mental Health Care CAS-BES 2025 revealed, among other things, that access to mental health care on the smaller islands remains severely lacking and that young people form a particularly vulnerable group.
In the afternoon, participants took part in workshops on vulnerable groups, school-based prevention, and an introduction to suicide prevention. Families who have lost a loved one to suicide shared their experiences. "Afterwards, you so desperately want to know whether you could have seen the signs. That is why it is so important that we can simply talk about it — at home, at school, everywhere", said one of the bereaved. The conversations underscored how crucial it is to recognise warning signs in time and to create an environment where openness is possible.
During the closing panel, attention was given to the challenges facing small communities: stigma surrounding mental health issues, cultural barriers that stand in the way of openness, and the key role of families in early identification. Experts emphasised that prevention does not stop after a day of awareness.
Structural approach needed
DCMH is calling on families, schools, healthcare professionals and governments to work together on suicide prevention throughout the entire year — not only around World Suicide Prevention Day.
