– HEMS by Ian Harris

ALTHOUGH the healthcare sector in Guyana has been making improvements in the provision of healthcare services overall, there are gaps which remain that need to be filled. One of the areas in desperate need for more funding and increased service provision is mental health and well-being.

Recognising the need for urgent intervention, Ian Harris, a psychotherapist, created HEMS. HEMS is the only organisation in Guyana where citizens can receive “psychological first aid.” Harris holds a Degree in Communications from the University of Guyana; he is a trained wilderness first responder and basic life support instructor.

HEMS is now in its second year, having been established in late 2018. The facility is operated by former emergency services personnel who are trained to counsel and advise those suffering from mental health concerns. Affected individuals can contact the team via their hotline where “psychological first aid” is administered to the affected individual. Following the initial conversation, affected individuals can begin the process of getting help through relevant and appropriate interventions.

Harris created HEMS because he noticed the gap in the market for Guyanese suffering from mental health conditions. “Many persons suffer from some form of mental ill-health. You may suffer from low mood, anxiety, depression, or you may just have depression, which without the proper interventions could lead to suicidal thoughts or ideation,” Harris said.
He noted, “There are many challenges affecting society right now; if you are a millennial and you spend more than half an hour on social media, you could be suffering from what is known as social isolation which basically means that as a millennial you are the most connected, but you are also the loneliest. One of the mental health challenges you are likely to face is social isolation which can lead to anxiety and depression.” He further went on to note the added stresses young people might face when making the transition from school to the work environment. Harris said that many millennials simply “Aren’t prepared for it and they need to be mentally prepared for that transition and most have difficulty adjusting to it…There are a lot of young persons battling with anxiety and depression issues; until HEMS came into play there was no avenue for them to turn to get some help. Young people often feel like there is something going on with me and I don’t want to talk to persons, because they might think that I am tripping and so they suffer in silence.” He continued, “With the creation of HEMS, I wanted persons to become aware that it is an organisation that exists to listen to you and meet your needs and inspire you to talk with someone. You are able to understand why you are suffering from whatever mental illness, and it doesn’t mean that you are mad. It means that you are suffering from an issue that could be reversed, depending on the intervention. For example, social isolation is an issue that nobody is talking about in Guyana, but there is extensive research on how social isolation impacts young people. Sixty percent of Guyana’s population is under 25; that’s an extremely young population, but most times we are not aware of what is going on with them.”

Although there continues to be a certain stigma surrounding mental health, Harris is adamant that it should not affect persons’ ability to get help. “This is our second year and I have taken a deliberate approach to be very militant about saving lives affected by mental health. Issues are occurring on a daily basis every second of the day. There are many persons living lives in a world of hopelessness and that relates to how they see themselves and how they see the world. A lot of young people see themselves as hopeless, he said/. “Unfortunately, until HEMS there was no known agency that has the facility to deal with such circumstances. We are attempting to reverse that so they know that what they are suffering is not a situation that cannot be changed; it could be reversed with the right intervention. From my interactions with many young persons, mental health is a big issue for them but it is taboo, so they are reluctant to speak about it. I want to reach out to those persons and say that it is okay to talk and that help is nearby.”

Mental health also has an effect on one’s ability to form and maintain good relationships, especially interpersonal domestic relationships. HEMS offers couples therapy. It is primarily a service designed to work with couples who are having difficulty relating to each other, Harris said. “Many times there are many triggers that come up in the relationship that results in some form of verbal exchange that could turn violent. Through therapy, they could have those matters resolved. Couples should call to indicate that they are a couple having challenges. Most interventions would take about five counselling sessions,” he said, adding, “We could deal with anxiety issues where the person doesn’t trust the other. Anxiety has a devastating effect on the body. By having a third party sit-down with you to look at the challenges you are having, through psychological first aid, we could identify what the issues are and find a way to have those issues resolved so as a couple you could learn how to communicate with each other and how to respond well to each other to solve problems.” Harris further went on to state that “if you’re prepared to spend close to $2 million dollars for a wedding and prior to that wedding you are still having a number of issues that are minor, but could become major, as in life-threatening or life-changing, then it makes sense to speak to a psychotherapist. Say we’re having challenges with communication, my other half understanding me clearly as an individual and my needs, you have to take some time to find out how those needs can be met so that, as a couple, you become synergised and can work together to achieve common goals and common objectives without going into a zone of conflict and arguments, depression and suicidal thoughts.”

Harris asserted that “as psychotherapists- we are aware of the needs of millennials; it is easy to identify the issues and to find prudent and pragmatic ways to make sure that when they come out of these sessions, they can feel satisfied and can live meaningful and comfortable lives.”

HEMS also offers a service to emergency services personnel who can contact them via the hotline to discuss their mental health concerns. The HEMS hotline is (592) 503 0443.