THE Department of Public Health in Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) is gearing itself for the provision of stigma-free, mental health care services at the level of its 18 primary health care institutions.

The initial step was taken two weeks ago with the launching of the Self-Harm Surveillance Programme within the region, Regional Health Officer Dr. Desmond Nicholson disclosed last week.

Self-harming cases, he explained, are non-suicidal self- inflicted injuries as distinct from completed suicides,which also will be closely monitored and reported to the Ministry of Health on a daily basis.

The Self-Harm Surveillance Programme is being supervised by the Mental Health Unit of the Ministry of Health, which rolled out similar programmes in Regions Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Regions Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) and Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) in 2017.

The programme is part of Guyana’s National Health Action Plan 2015-2020.

Dr. Nicholson said that the establishment of the programme in Region Five, occurs against a backdrop of the region having inched up to second place in the number of self-harm cases and completed suicides reported in Guyana in the past year- Region Two being Number One and Region Seven listed at Number Two.

“The reason for doing the surveillance is that, we want to catch these self-harm and potentially suicidal people early; these people who may have cut their wrists for example. We want to catch them early and help them before they go to that fatal step. We know of the emotional, psychological and the economic burdens that families face as a result of the untimely death of a family member to suicide, and we are duty bound to do something about that at the level where it matters most- the community and primary health care level.”

Doctors, nurses and social workers within Region Five who are not psychiatrists, are to be trained in the use of the Mental Health GAP Action Programme (mhGAP), which will equip them with the lower-level psychiatric education for providing effective mental health care.

The Mental Health GAP Action Programme (mhGAP) is known to be effective in curing persons with mental disorders, such as depression, psychosis, self-harm which can lead to suicide, epilepsy, dementia and stresses, that are due to use of substances etc!

With the initiative being pursued, persons who need treatment can get it right in their communities, in this case in Region Five, and then go on to lead very productive and useful lives thereafter, he said.

Dr. Nicholson said that the training of personnel within Region Five in mhGAP, will commence in February.

“Following the initial capacity building of these health care personnel, people in Region Five with mental health issues will be able to  access services on an outpatient basis, and will  no longer attract the stigma of having been referred to as someone who had to have been institutionalised in the National Psychiatric Centre.”

“They will be able to visit these primary care institutions just like a diabetic patient, hypertensive patient or any other chronic illness patient.”

There will be three training sessions for capacity building of the targeted personnel this year, and other plans include the provision of one short-stay bed at each of the two hospitals within the Region.
The Regional Administration of Region Five has pledged to provide the necessary psychotropic medications for patients.

Notwithstanding the mhGAP training of non-specialists, the Health Department of the region is hoping for the employment of a Resident Psychiatrist during the course of this year.
The department will also train school teachers on, how to identify a child who is having mental health distress.
Social workers will visit the homes of those at risk of self-harm and suicide, and the entire family will be assessed and follow-up actions taken.