AS the Ministry of Public Health continues to place much emphasis on mental health, some 25 stakeholders from across the country gathered for a four-day training of trainers’ workshop focused on the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP).This workshop, which commenced on August 10 and concluded yesterday, was hosted in collaboration with the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO).
Among the participants were stakeholders from several Regional Hospitals and areas with a high incidence of suicides, such as Baramita and East Berbice-Corentyne.
According to a release from the Public Health Ministry, the World Health Organisation’s mhGAP training is aimed at scaling up services for mental, neurological and substance-use disorders for countries, especially the low and middle-income ones.
One of the main objectives of the workshop was to train mental health and primary care professionals to serve as future trainers in the roll-out of the mhGAP training to a broader set of frontline health care providers. The aim was to train some 300 persons for the implementation of the programme at the community level.
Other objectives of the workshop were to review and adapt the mhGAP Interventional Guide training manual to the Guyana context and familiarize participants with the use of the mhGAP Interventional Guide.
The mhGAP asserts that with proper care, psychosocial assistance and medication, tens of millions could be treated for depression, schizophrenia and epilepsy, prevented from suicide and begin to lead normal lives – even where resources are scarce.
TOPICS DISCUSSED
Among the topics discussed at the workshop were general principles of care, issues of support and supervision, depression, suicide, psychosis, drugs, behavioural disorders and the general framework for working with children and adolescents.
Over the years, Guyana has experienced alarmingly high rates of suicide and suicide-attempt cases, taking the country to the top of the list of countries with the highest suicide rates. During the period of 2010-2012, there were 667 reported suicides, resulting in an average of 200 deaths per year.
The National Mental Health Action Plan for 2015-2020 and the National Suicide Prevention Plan have been launched and implementation is in progress.
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
A national task force has been formed, which focuses on risk-factor reduction, health promotion and prevention; reducing access to the means of suicide, health systems response to suicide behaviour and surveillance and research.
There are currently 16 satellite clinics in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Nine and 10, where mental health services are available.
As it relates to human resources for mental health, there are five psychiatrists, seven psychologists, five general doctors, 11 social workers, 153 nurses and one occupational therapist.
Suicide helpline numbers were also introduced in August 2015 and those numbers are: 223-0001, 223-0009, 600-7896 and 623-4444. (Navendra Seoraj)