Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death on Guam

Records of suicide on Guam date back to the mid-19th century. A sharp rise in local suicides took place after the 1960s which became alarmingly high by 80s and declined after the year 2000. However, suicide is still prevalent in our community today.

Of these suicides, 60 percent occur among those under the age of 30. In comparison to the U.S. mainland, this statistic is unusual. Suicides in the states usually happen late in life after a loss of a spouse or a diagnosis of cancer to those who surpass fifty.

In Micronesia, the majority of suicide victims are young males between the ages of 15-24. These suicides often happen suddenly without external signs of suffering or downward spirals of depression.

“The narrow focus among young men 15 to 24 does not fit into western notions or patterns of suicide,” said Don Rubinstein, Ph.D., UOG Professor of Anthropology. 

Rubinstein has studied suicide throughout Micronesia since the 1970s. He has lived with families and communities affected by this issue. He has found that suicide in the islands were impulsive and usually a result of something that seemed so trivial like a scolding by a parent when the child was late to work the land.

Suicides in Micronesia tend to be episodic, and come suddenly rather than showing signs of suffering early on.

Hanging is a popular choice of method for suicide among young males, whereas ingesting of poison is more common among women.

Death by hanging accounted for 90 percent of suicides in Micronesia during the 70s.  However, it was not suspended hanging and instead leaning backward. This meant that the victims died from a lack of oxygen not air. It is a very passive method and can reveal questions and insight to the pattern of suicide as a cultural issue.

According to Rubinstein, suicide rates in Micronesia were three times greater than the U.S. rates of suicide during the Reagan presidential campaign, which at the time considered suicide to be a national crisis during the 80s.

Rubenstein explained that sometimes suicide attempts are not intended to end in death. Sometimes a suicide attempt is a dramatic cry for help.

For every 100,000 males aged 15-24, 20-25 Americans lost their lives to suicide while in Micronesia 250 out of 100,000 died for that same demographic.

This statistic is staggering in comparison. In the states, suicide was a serious problem yet in Micronesia the rates of suicide were three times higher than that in the mainland.

In 2009, the Guam Youth Suicide Prevention Grant provided funds to create a profile of suicide on Guam to be a baseline measurement for the focus on life.

According to this report, from 2000 to 2007, suicides accounted for one death every two weeks.

And while we have these statistics recorded, we still do not have a clear sense as to why they happen.

Reports on suicide do not go in depth with solutions.

TU;MA, a social movement spearheaded by Jesrae Moylan, who lost her brother to suicide, formed to help reduce suicides within the local community. Moylan is passionate about this issue as she lost her brother Ray to suicide. Taking Up Mental Awareness is named after Ray’s nickname, uncle Tuma.

Moylan explained that while the TU;MA team is not a group of experts, its members have been affected by suicide. They aim to provide a safe place in the community to “talk up” this issue and prevent it.

The social movement hopes to reach those struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide through the use of social media and outreach events.

They held their first suicide awareness wave in 2018 and was met with great support.

“There is a lack of suicide awareness in schools and that is where it starts with the youth” Moyland said.

Moylan aims to reach the youth to educate them on outlets and options to express their emotions. “Sometimes kids just want attention,” Moylan said. Moylan wants to see more teachers and law enforcement who are trained in suicide prevention. 

Organizations such as TU;MA and health centers provide the community with a safe space to share their experiences with suicide and heal from mental illness.