In response to the increasing numbers of suicides in the parish, the Clarendon Health Department recently staged a mental health forum designed to lessen the incidence of mental health disorders.

A Jamaica Information Service release said the forum was held jointly with the Ministry of Health's Mental Health Programme. The forum was staged to com-memorate Mental Health Week, which was celebrated between October 8 and 13.

Carlissa Pearson, from the Claren-don Health Department, said the department was aware of the rising number of suicides in the parish, and islandwide. She added, " We are only too familiar with the situation where somebody takes their life, takes a family member's life and it is usually something that could have been prevented if people understood just what was happening. People live with depression which is a mental problem and it is a problem where there's treatment available but people live with it year in, year out, don't get treatment and in the long run take their lives."

Panellists from various disciplines, were put together for the forum. Among these were a social worker, to address the issues that encourage depression and other problems, a psychiatrist to look at depression as a medical condition, a mental health officer, someone that has attempted suicide and a minister of religion.

Based on statistics, males are more likely to suffer from depression and are more prone to suicide. Therefore, most of those who were invited from the workforce were males.