P-30 Characterization of Suicidal behaviour among patients 10 to 17 years old who attended the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Psychiatry clinic from 1st January 2022 to 31st December 2022

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 60 patients was done. The demographic and socioeconomic data from patient charts were recorded in an excel file and then read into  R Core Team (2022). The information was presented using tables/charts along with descriptive summaries. Fisher’s exact test was used for associations between two variables and the Prevalence was also calculated.

Results: The Prevalence of  Suicidal behaviour was  21%. Demographic factors identified female patients with an average age of 14.5 years. The largest group of patients were Indo-Guyanese (49.2%) from Region 4. Christians represented 58.3% of the patients. Mothers (38.3%) were commonly the legal representatives. Most patients had no medical (85.1%) or psychiatric history (60%) and did not use substances (81.4%). Ingestion of substances (69.4%) was the most common method of suicide attempt. The patients with suicidal behaviour were above the age of 14 years (58%) and attended school (75%). Individuals of African (90%) descent were Christians and Indian (59%) descent were Hindus. The religious affiliation between individuals of these races was significant (p=0.001). Other associations were no statistically significant. 

Conclusion: The findings provided valuable insights into the characteristics and prevalence of suicidal behavior within this specific group from our clinic setting. There is a need 1 for more detailed epidemiological studies that will help inform targeted interventions, raise awareness, and develop more effective strategies to prevent and address suicidal tendencies among adolescents in Guyana.