The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

SUICIDE related admissions to the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre rose by 20 percent last year, hospital administrator Leotha Coleby said yesterday.

The centre has also seen an increase in mental health admissions between January and March 2026, particularly among men dealing with substance abuse that lead to wider issues, including family and relationship problems.

A sharp rise in suicide and suicide attempts alarmed officials last year. Police recorded 16 suicides in 2025, a 60 percent increase over the ten recorded the previous year.

Ms Coleby said stigma continues to prevent people from seeking help.

“Sandilands is the number one in the region for mental health and our institution, so the resources are there, but the shame, sometimes that's what happened for the most part,” she said.

She added that mental health challenges can be triggered by a range of factors, from hereditary conditions to everyday stressors that overwhelm a person’s ability to cope.

Her comments came on the sidelines of a two-day Gambling Addiction and Substance Use Programme Conference, part of Problem Gambling Awareness Month, which aims to develop a coordinated national response linking justice, health and community systems.

Paulette Dean, chairperson of the Gambling Addiction Programme, said gambling addiction often goes undetected until late in treatment, as patients typically present with other mental health or substance abuse issues.

“Gambling and addiction is a hidden addiction,” she said. “It's not something that is discussed on a daily basis.”

She said the failure to identify gambling addiction early makes treatment more difficult and called for greater awareness of its role as a mental health disorder.

The conference’s keynote speaker, Wiley Harwell, executive director of the Oklahoma Association for Problem and Compulsive Gambling, warned that gambling has evolved rapidly, making it harder to recognise.

“One of the important things to realise is, in the last year and a half period of time, you cannot define gambling the way you used to define it,” he said. “We used to know exactly what it was. It was going to the casino, a sports betting venue or another individual placing money in the hopes of gaining more money on an event that had an uncertain outcome. Very simple. Now the world has evolved, particularly in the last year and a half period of time, with prediction markets and daily fantasy sports.”

He said the shift to digital platforms has made gambling more accessible and constant, with more than half of all gambling now taking place on mobile devices.

Mr Harwell also highlighted the severity of gambling addiction, noting its links to depression, substance abuse and high rates of relapse and suicide attempts.

Public Hospitals Authority managing director Dr Aubynette Rolle said addiction cuts across all communities and should be treated as a public health issue rather than a moral failing.

“As healthcare leaders, we must recognise that addiction is a public health issue, not a character flaw,” she said. “It is a complex chronic condition that deserves the same clinical seriousness and compassionate response as any other major health challenge. Our hospitals must be ready to receive those whom prevention does not reach in time and meet them with dignity.”

She said health systems must integrate mental health and addiction services into mainstream care and improve accessibility, warning that critical opportunities to help patients can be lost without the right support structures.