60 cases of suicide deaths in CNMI

The CNMI recorded 60 cases of suicide deaths during a 10-year period from 2014 to 2023, according to the Community Guidance Center’s Suicide Prevention Program.

Suicide Prevention Program mental health counselor Sharina Clark said among the 60 suicide deaths in that span majority were males, while majority of suicide attempts were women. She added that depression stemming from relationship issues is a major cause of suicide and suicide attempts.

Clark, in an interview during the Community Guidance Center’s 4th Annual Light Up the Night event last Friday night, went on to enumerate the list of signs of suicidal behaviors that include extreme sadness, dissociation, and withdrawal from social activities.

“Typically, they show signs of extreme sadness, and dissociation, they don’t want to talk to their friends and families. Sometimes they start giving away their belongings, especially if they’re intent and they have the plan to die, they will start giving away their things, start writing suicide notes saying goodbye to their friends and their families, but one of the biggest things though that is easy for us to notice is the withdrawal that someone who’s usually social will not be as social, someone who is usually like the life of the party will no longer be life of the party,” said Clark.

Clark emphasized that seeking help for mental health is not shameful and should be prioritized.

“They should know that there is help available, that there’s no shame in seeking help to not give into the stigmatization that seeking help is wrong or embarrassing. There is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to highlighting and wanting to keep safe or yourself safe, promoting your own mental behavioral health, it’s just as important as physical health.”

Mental struggles are as debilitating as physical struggles, she added.

“I think something that people don’t recognize is that the struggles we go through mentally are just debilitating as the struggles we go through physically, so we should always know that help is there,” Clark said.

Meanwhile, more than 400 joined the aforementioned 4th Annual Light Up the Night event last Friday night at the Garapan Fishing Base.

The Light Up the Night event was a walk to raise awareness on suicide prevention and substance use recovery, and it’s a collaboration of various government agencies including recovery programs, government agencies, and schools.

The march started at 6:45pm with JROTCs from Kagman High School, Marianas High School, and Southern High School taking the lead in marching from Garapan Fishing Base to the 13th Fishermen Monument along with staff from the CHCC-CGC, Substance Abuse Recovery Program, Division of Youth Services, PSS Mental Health, and NMI Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

This year marks the sixth year of the National Recovery Awareness Commemoration and 4th year for the CHCC Guidance Center. It was last year when they decided to merge since they both observed suicide prevention and substance use recovery in the same month which is September.

The People in Recovery Outreach Program conducted a road-waving activity starting at 4:30pm, according to Jawn Joyner, Substance Use and Suicide Awareness Committee vice chair.

“We have the road waving, and we have a different booth set up for community education like mental health and where you can seek help,” she said.

CHCC-CGC program manager Ana Ada said the event includes a prayer walk and remembrance for those affected by suicide.

“I’m expecting everybody to at least say a prayer walk and remember people who have died by suicide or who are still actually alive but suffering from very distressed because of suicidal thoughts and hopefully we’re trying to encourage a zero-suicide community, where the year goes by and we don’t have a suicide death, that’s our hope,” said Ada.

For more information or if anyone needs help dealing with the issue, the Suicide Prevention Program can be reached at (670) 664-5483, and for immediate assistance, they can call 988 to speak with a trained counselor.