Letter of the Day | More investment and support needed for children with mental health problems

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Recently, I had the honour of attending a health fair in Manchester, and one of the presenters drew my attention to the shortage of mental health professionals to adequately meet the needs of children and teens.

The presenter posited the difficulty parents face to get psychiatric care for their children in many areas of need. It should be concerning to all of us that there is a shortage of mental health practitioners in Jamaica. This reality pushed me into doing some further reading and research.

In 2021, local research think tank CAPRI published a study titled ‘Mind the Gap – The Inadequacy of Mental Health Services for Children’. The study revealed that the mental health services for children in Jamaica are grossly inadequate and underfunded.

It noted that there were 94 practising psychologists and therapists, and 28 practising psychiatrists in Jamaica for a population of close to three million people and over 100,000 people being treated for mental illnesses yearly in the public health system.

The ratio of psychiatrists to the general population is approximately one to 1,600; the ratio of community mental health officers to the general population is one to 300. This is well below the international standard of a ratio of 1:150 for psychiatrists to a population, and 1:50 for mental health officers to a population.

Unacceptable

The inadequate mental health services offered to our children for specialised care is further compounded by the fact that in 2021, there were only three psychiatric clinicians trained to work with adolescents across the entire island! This means there is approximately 250,000 children to one psychiatrist trained to specifically treat children. In our schools, the current ratio of students to guidance counsellor stands at a staggering one guidance counsellor to 500 students! This is unacceptable if we really care about the mental health of our population, particularly among our children.

With the increase in mental illnesses within the adolescent population, as well as the need for quality mental health services and psychiatric care, I am calling on the Government to increase its investment in mental health services; especially as it relates to child psychiatry and mental health.

The mental well-being of our youth population is central towards increasing the productive capacity of our country. To combat the grossly inadequate mental health services to our children, I am proposing a few actions for consideration.

1. The full complement of mental health practitioners should be given a more competitive remuneration. This will make the field more attractive to younger persons seeking a career in the health field.

2. Offer scholarships for study here and abroad in the field of mental health. A bond arrangement would be tied to the scholarships.

3. Commit towards reducing the ratio of guidance counsellors to students in school. This will allow guidance counsellors to be better able to cater to the psychosocial needs of the children at school. A ratio of one guidance counsellor to 150 students might not be a bad start.

4. Make it mandatory for every student in high school to see a counsellor at least once every year, where screening is done for depression and anxiety. This will help to identify, from early, some of the emotional challenge children are undergoing.

5. Guidance counsellors should not be timetabled to teach classes, the HFLE teacher should carry that role.

With many of our children addicted to social media by the time they reach high school, and their minds undergoing rapid changes, the need for mental health support has become more pronounced.

The way we treat mental health as a branch of medicine and human experience needs more focus and seriousness of purpose.

I think, also, that establishing a joint select committee of Parliament to study the many recommendations made through the Task Force on Mental Health and Homelessness, chaired by noted psychiatrist Dr Earl Wright, can help us to develop policies and programmes which are cost-effective and can empower the community of the mentally ill, inclusive of children with mental health issues.

After decades of stigma, abuse, neglect, discrimination and negative labels, it is time to make the necessary investment in mental health services; and we must start with our children.

The word is always love!

ANDRE’ A.O. WELLINGTON, JP

Mental Health Patient and

Advocate