The Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Presidential Youth Advisory Council (PYAC), on Thursday launched the National Mental Health Website to better document and respond to the needs of individuals across the country who seek mental health services.
“It’s such a serious undertaking when people come to us at their most vulnerable moments, and we need to make sure that the ways that we are responding would be the most appropriate ways,” Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony relayed during the launch.
This website has been months in the making, with a lot of time having been taken to discuss and refine the approaches adopted to best assist those who seek assistance.
“[Now] we will get people calling in, we will get people interacting; and as we work on this, we will see how to change it to make sure that we are constantly very responsive,” Dr. Anthony added.
The National Mental Health Website provides users with important terms associated with mental health, as well as allows them to learn the signs of mental health illnesses in children, adolescents and adults, view testimonials from individuals who share their own mental health journey, and those who address the stigma surrounding mental health.
One of the highlights of the site, the PYAC representatives explained, is the live chat element which allows persons to message a support agent at any time and request assistance. They are also given the option of choosing to video call the agent.
This project, Dr Anthony stated, has also been one in which President Dr. Irfaan Ali has taken a personal interest, having recognised the importance of maintaining mental health, as Guyana holds one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with an estimated 41 deaths in every 100,000 persons.
“We want to make sure that we are able to reduce those numbers, and if we can get to a place where nobody in the country is going to commit suicide, that’s really the ideal to aspire for,” the Minister added.
The National Assembly recently passed the Suicide Prevention Act, decriminalising suicide in Guyana and providing suicide prevention services and support for survivors of suicide, persons with suicidal ideation, and those who have lost loved ones to suicide. This is in addition to the passing of the Mental Health Protection and Promotion Bill that replaced the 1930 Mental Hospital Ordinance.
“The way we practise mental health is much different from a couple decades ago, because, in those times, the easiest thing to do [was if] somebody’s got a mental health problem, to put them in an institution and lock them away,” Anthony said.
“That’s not modern practice. A lot of people might have some issues now, but with the right counselling [and] the right treatment, people can get back to their normal lives,” Minister Anthony said. “We want to make sure that, in that period of vulnerability, we are able to help people so that they can get on back with their normal lives.”
In providing better mental healthcare across the country, the Health Minister explained that psychiatrists have also been appointed to cover Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), with efforts being made to provide services in the hinterland regions as well.
The Health Ministry is also working to ensure there are trained individuals working at the primary healthcare centres.
