Page 13 - ARUBA TODAY

A13
Friday 20 September 2019

Does island living prevent suicide?

By Melissa Martin where they "have to be" bipolar disorder. Does island snoozing im-
OHIO — Sun, sand, and or are "supposed to be." Island countries with lower prove sleep and circa-
sea. Exotic fruits and veg- Scheduling every minute of suicide rates. Just a place- dian rhythms? Melatonin is
gies. Eating and enjoying. a day makes you ask where bo effect? Or does medi- known as the “sleep hor-
Dancing, singing, playing. the years went. When the tating on a mango change mone” and more sunlight
Resting and relaxing on a sun rises, a new day be- the mood and decrease during the day helps pro-
beach playground. Breath- gins. When it sets, a new stress? The mindfulness duce more melatonin in
ing in the beauty of nature. night begins. It's as simple movement with medita- the brain at night.
The vivid colors being eye- as that. The sun doesn't live tion is showing promising Vitamin D is touted as the
candy for the soul. The sen- by the clock and you don't research on the brain. “sunshine vitamin.” Sunlight
suous smells teasing the need to either. That realiza- Perhaps a beach is brain is a primary source of Vita-
tongue and nose. Tactile tion can change your en- yoga. And the sun sub- min D.
experiencing of enticing tire life.” stitutes for hot yoga. The Via research we need to
and tantalizing textures. Is Time is a commodity and brain and body relate to conduct studies and find
island habitation a perma- a common belief is “that sun, surf, and sea. the factors associated with
nent vacation? time is money.” Clocks, cal- Serotonin, known as the lower suicide rates in is-
endars, schedules. “happy hormone” is boost- land countries. And use the Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is an
The Bahamas is comprised Hurry-scurry-worry. Is that ed by sunlight. And ele- data for countries with the author, columnist, educator,
of 700 islands and over what the rest of us do? Go- vates the mood. highest suicide rates.q and therapist. She lives in US.
2,000 rocks and cays, sprin- go-go. Get-get-get. Do we
kled over 100,000 square abuse seconds, minutes,
miles of ocean. The archi- hours, and days? Do we
pelago is an ecological even notice that weeks,
oasis, boasting the clearest months, and years go by?
water on the planet. That’s Achieve-achieve-achieve.
the word at www.baha- Spend-spend-spend. Birth
mas.com. to death—what are we
What can we learn from doing with the time in-be-
the countries with the low- tween? Do islanders view
est suicide rates? Accord- time differently?
ing to World Population Disconnect from technolo-
Review, the lowest suicide gy and connect to relation-
rates in the world are con- ships. Do islanders spend
centrated in the Caribbe- more face-to-face time
an Islands of the Bahamas, with people? Conversing,
Jamaica, Grenada, Barba- laughing and joking.
dos, Antigua and Barbuda. Does acquiring less stuff on
www.worldpopulationre- purpose lead to less greed?
view.com. Less pressure? Less judg-
What factors formulate ment? Perhaps a beach
contented island exis- bungalow is more satisfying
tence? Peace, tranquil- than a million-dollar man-
ity, serenity. Are illnesses sion.
prevented by salt wa- Do islanders suffer less with
ter? Ocean air? Soothing depressive disorders? “A
sounds? suicide attempt is a clear
The following excerpt (Les- indication that something is
son #5) was selected from gravely wrong in a person’s
a 2014 article on Huffpost. life. No matter the race or
com by freelancer Aman- age of the person; how rich
da Walkins. The intriguing or poor they are, it is true
title: 7 Life-Changing Les- that most people who die
sons I’ve Learned Living on by suicide have a mental
a Caribbean Island. or emotional disorder.” The
“Time is a concept, not a most common underlying
dictator. "Island Time" is a disorder is depression and
real thing, but it should not 30 percent to 70 percent of
be solely for islands. We suicide victims suffer from
love watching tourists ad- major depression or bipo-
just to relaxation over the lar disorder. www.mental-
week or two they spend healthamerica.net.
here. You can see a physi- Suicide is not a mental dis-
cal change in people as order, but one of the most
they take the watch off, important causes of sui-
leave the phone in the ho- cide is mental illness—most
tel room, and forget about often major depression or