Latest update April 5th, 2026 12:45 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

Media urged to stop using the term, “committed suicide.”

Aug 23, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
The Caribbean Voice is requesting that all media refrain from using the term ‘committed suicide’ to refer to the act whereby someone dies by suicide. Suicide prevention activists and organizations argue that the word ‘commit’ has certain negative connotations and associations such as in ‘criminals commit crimes’. And in spite of the archaic law in Guyana that decriminalizes attempted suicide, suicide is not a crime but a mental health issues, especially given that all triggers lead to either depression or anxiety which in turn catalyze suicide ideation and suicide itself. Suicide prevention activists and organizations are requesting that the replacement terms be ‘died by suicide’ or ‘is a suicide victim’
Also, instead of ‘reducing suicide’ or ‘suicide reduction,’ please use ‘creating suicide free (or suicide freer) communities’. The goal of activists is not to reduce suicide since one suicide is one too many; the goal is to work to create suicide freer communities that would eventually result in suicide free communities.
Annan Boodram
The Caribbean Voice

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Similar Articles

Listen to the The Glenn Lall Show

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

Your children are starving, and you giving away their food to an already fat pussycat.

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Guyana shatters CARIFTA Games mixed relay record; Springer, Austin strikes 400m gold

Guyana shatters CARIFTA Games mixed relay record; Springer, Austin...

Apr 05, 2026

…Shepherd’s silver, Roberts bronze adds to five-medal haul on opening day By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – Guyana announced its arrival at the 53rd CARIFTA Games in St George’s,...
Read More

VIEW ALL SPORTS

Features/Columnists

Has the world lost its conscience?

Has the world lost its conscience?

Apr 03, 2026

(Kaieteur News) –The world today stands on the edge of an energy crisis. But this crisis did not appear out of nowhere. It has been building, quietly and steadily, alongside a deep and growing indifference to human suffering. As the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States intensifies,...
Read More

Sir. Ronald Sanders

The Caribbean Is Being Forced to Reconsider Trade Dependence on the U.S.

The Caribbean Is Being Forced to Reconsider Trade Dependence on the...

Apr 05, 2026

By Sir Ronald Sanders (Kaieteur News) – The Caribbean has not set out to loosen its trade dependence on the United States. It is being driven to do so. For generations, Caribbean importers and consumers have looked first to the American market. They have done so for reasons of preference and...
Read More

The GHK Lall Column

U.S. Ambassador Theriot’s selective seeing

U.S. Ambassador Theriot’s selective seeing

Apr 05, 2026

Hard Truths by GHK Lall (Kaieteur News) – People see what they prefer to see, then double down by selling that as universal, gospel.  Different ways are used to describe such standards.  Selective seeing, accentuating the positive, putting in a good word for a sidekick.  US Ambassador Nicole...
Read More

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: glennlall2000@gmail.com / kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

> Berbice Bridge […]