The medical director of the largest private hospital in Santiago, the Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago (Homs), psychiatrist Mirlán de los Santos warned about the high number of suicides in the Dominican Republic. He said there were more than 800 suicides last year. So far this year, 300 have been reported. In an interview with Diario Libre, he said the young population is mostly at risk.
Dr. De los Santos said that the coverage of suicides in the media can have an affect on the number of suicides. He pointed out that sharing in the media of dramatic details of a suicidal death can motivate others to do the same. The other extreme is to not give coverage to suicides in the media. This gives the impression suicides are not a problem for Dominican society. He urges that the community, in general, be taught how to read the non-verbal language to identify potential suicidal persons to take actions to prevent these.
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Diario Libre
24 October 2019