Mental Health
UNICEF has set a new goal to secure investment and action to support families and communities to bring an end to neglect, abuse and childhood traumas that drive poor mental health and life outcomes.
The long-term vision for change is that by 2026, girls and boys in Guyana and Suriname, including in humanitarian settings, grow up healthy, thrive, develop to their full potential and build resilience by benefiting from increased access to quality health and nutrition services.
UNICEF will provide technical support to strengthen service delivery and care systems for mental health and psychosocial well-being in schools and other community-based settings. It will support the Governments in piloting school-based mental health interventions, including the establishment of abuse and counselling facilities in schools, and develop a communication campaign for adolescents and families on the importance of speaking up.
Capacity strengthening will help local and national health systems to reduce their vulnerability in emergencies by including emergency action plans in all planning work. UNICEF and United Nations partners will support the Government of Guyana in establishing a modern Health Management Information System.
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Suriname
In Suriname, the severity of mental health issues and the lack of investments and psychosocial support have become increasingly evident, especially for marginalized children and adolescents. The economic downturn exacerbated stress and tension, impacting children's mental wellbeing.
The burden of mental health in Suriname, is most prominently noticeable in the growing suicide numbers. According to WHO, Suicide rates in Suriname are alarmingly high, with 148 suicides in 2020, which is 4% of total deaths. This put Suriname globally in 6th place of countries with highest suicide rates. It is the second leading cause of death among 15- 39-year-olds.
Recent years have seen an increase in suicide attempts among children and adolescents. UNICEF’s mental health study recently conducted; revealed that 36 % of adolescents (10-18 years) have contemplated suicide. An alarming group of 76%, have indicated that they have experienced serious stress and or depression in the past 12 months.