Jaevion Nelson | Youth mental health on front burner

It is rather unfortunate that the horrific stories about children who attempt suicide and who present with mental-health issues do not seem to impress upon us the urgency with which we must treat with the mental health of our children and adolescents. The large number of incidents are seemingly insufficient to be a catalyst for change.

According to a new report launched by UNICEF and CAPRI, there were more than 3,000 cases of children and adolescents with 'psychiatric disorders' at our public-health clinics in 2016. In addition, an alarming 42 per cent of all cases of attempted suicides that were treated at our hospitals were children.

The report also highlights that in 2014, a study found that one out of every five students in secondary school was at risk of suicide, with nearly 52 per cent and 27 per cent of them being between 14 and 16 years and 11 and 13 years, respectively. Suicidal ideation was more common among students attending schools in urban areas.

The story is told of a boy at the St John Bosco Boys' Home in Mandeville, who attempted suicide when he used wire tied to a chain-link fence to take his life. He felt unloved because his father did not visit him since he was placed there.

Sadly, despite the crisis, amid the pleas for help from children and adolescents, our policymakers and decision-makers are pussyfooting with their obligation to safeguard their health and well-being. One wonders what it will take for our Government to consider this an important matter to address, and to allocate the resources needed to adequately care for our children and adolescents' mental health and well-being.

The dearth of services that are available, affordable and accessible to provide the requisite support our children and adolescents with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental-health challenges continues to be a serious problem.

'Far from adequate'

This is partly because "mental and psychological health services are far from adequate". Rosalee Gage-Grey, head of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency, said, "There is a serious mental-health crisis with adolescents in this country and there are not enough resources in the public health centres."

Can you believe that we only have one psychiatrist to 1,582 patients? Or that there is one community mental-health officer or nurse for 306 patients? We are well below the international standard.

I know we have a tendency to think mental health is not a serious issue, but if you work with children, adolescents and youth, you would know the dire need they have to talk to a professional who they can trust, who will respect them, and offer the support they need to deal with the plethora of challenges they are bombarded with daily.

It's rather worrying how unbothered we seem to be about this crisis. We have to take a stand. We have to demand that the Government budget better for mental health, especially for our children and youth. We have to urge them to amend the mental-health act.

We have to take a stand against harmful practices such as conversion therapy and ensure they are banned. We have to recognise that we urgently need to stop praying for children with behavioural problems rather than seek professional help.

Now is the time for us to act before the situation gets worse. Now is the time for us to demand that our political leaders act. Now is the time for us to take care of the nation's children. Now is the time to invest in our country's future.

- Jaevion Nelson is a human rights, social and economic justice advocate. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and jaevion@gmail.com or tweet @jaevionn.