GREAT BAY--A regional effort to strengthen suicide prevention in schools and communities is putting renewed attention on the role educators, families, healthcare providers and governments can play in identifying mental health concerns earlier and connecting young people with appropriate support.
St. Maarten was represented in those discussions by Dr. Hendrikus van Gaalen, Medical Director and psychiatrist at the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), who participated in the closing panel of a regional suicide prevention seminar organized by the Dutch Caribbean Mental Health Federation on September 10 at the University of Curaçao Dr. Moises da Costa Gomez.
The seminar, held under the theme “Together in Prevention, Together in Hope,” brought together 122 participants in person, while others from across the Caribbean islands followed the morning sessions online. The gathering focused on suicide prevention as a responsibility extending beyond mental health institutions, with schools, families, community organizations and governments identified as important parts of a wider prevention network.
A significant portion of the discussions dealt specifically with young people and schools. Misha Raymond, a healthcare psychologist with Respaldo in Aruba, addressed adolescent mental health and suicide prevention within the Caribbean context. Workshops later examined suicide prevention in schools, while the Netherlands-based organization 113 provided introductory suicide prevention training.
The participating mental health organizations said suicide prevention should be embedded more firmly within schools and communities, with greater attention to early recognition of warning signs, reducing stigma and improving cooperation among healthcare services, schools, families and other organizations.
For small Caribbean societies, the discussion also highlighted particular challenges surrounding stigma, cultural attitudes and the strong role of family and community. The closing panel addressed how these realities can influence whether people experiencing emotional distress feel comfortable speaking about what they are going through or seeking professional support.
St. Maarten already taking mental health conversations into schools
The regional focus on schools comes as St. Maarten's Mental Health Foundation has already been extending mental health awareness into educational settings.
Earlier this year, MHF social psychiatric workers participated in a health fair at St. Maarten Academy, where students discussed stress, stigma and mental health. MHF also participated in a health screening initiative at the National Institute for Professional Advancement, NIPA, aimed at promoting early mental health awareness, preventive screening and student well-being.
Those initiatives do not amount to a formal island-wide suicide prevention program in schools, but they demonstrate that local mental health professionals are already engaging students outside of traditional clinical settings.
The regional discussions could therefore add momentum to the broader question of whether suicide prevention, mental health awareness and clear referral pathways should become more structured within schools across St. Maarten.
The approach discussed at the Curaçao seminar does not call for teachers to become mental health professionals. Instead, the focus is on helping people within schools and communities recognize concerning changes, understand when professional help may be needed and know where that help can be found.
The Dutch Caribbean Mental Health Federation stressed that suicide prevention cannot be limited to the healthcare sector. Families, friends, schools, community organizations and governments all have roles in recognizing signals and ensuring people are connected to assistance in a timely manner.
Local awareness also growing
Mental health and suicide prevention have received additional attention in St. Maarten during September.
The Collective Prevention Service, CPS, marked World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 by urging residents to help reduce stigma, check in on people who may be experiencing difficult circumstances and take expressions of hopelessness or thoughts of suicide seriously. CPS encouraged people to listen without judgment and help individuals obtain professional assistance when needed.
The University of St. Martin also marked World Suicide Prevention Day with its Lit Night @ USM, bringing students, faculty, staff and members of the community together for poetry, spoken word and storytelling. The event was held under the theme “Changing the Narrative on Suicide,” and attendees were encouraged to wear yellow as a symbol of hope and solidarity.
Together, those activities and St. Maarten's participation in the regional seminar point to an increasing emphasis on discussing mental health before people reach a point of crisis.
Prevention beyond one awareness day
Another important part of the regional seminar involved people who had lost loved ones to suicide. They discussed signs they recognized afterwards and how earlier intervention might have been possible. Organizers said those experiences reinforced the importance of better communication and cooperation among families, professionals and other organizations.
The Dutch Caribbean Mental Health Federation said the September 10 seminar is intended to contribute to work that continues beyond World Suicide Prevention Day. Among the priorities identified are making conversations about suicide easier, recognizing warning signs earlier, strengthening protective factors and making sure people know where assistance is available.
For St. Maarten, the regional discussion now raises a practical question about what comes next: how schools, healthcare professionals, families and government can build on existing awareness efforts and create a more consistent system for recognizing mental health concerns and connecting students and families with professional help.
Residents who are struggling emotionally, experiencing thoughts of suicide or need someone to speak with can contact the St. Maarten Mental Health Foundation's confidential crisis line at 585-5556. MHF states that the line is answered by a professional.
