Guyana advocates mental health literacy as foundation for national wellness

Advisor to the Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, has emphasised the critical need for a strong literacy program in Guyana as a fundamental precursor to discussions about wellness.
Speaking at the third Guyana Mental Health and Well-Being Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Tuesday, Dr Ramsammy underscored the pivotal role of mental health education in shaping a healthier society.
In his address, Dr Ramsammy highlighted the imperative of integrating mental health awareness into the school curriculum, emphasizing the necessity for a comprehensive review. He asserted that building a foundation of mental health literacy is essential for healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, as they embark on their careers.

“I have a special message…the curriculum needs to be reviewed. Mental health must be a significant part of training when a doctor or a nurse comes out,” he said.
While acknowledging the strides made in legislation, Dr. Ramsammy also acknowledged the challenges posed by resource limitations in implementing past mental health programs comprehensively across the country. He assured the audience of ongoing efforts by the Health Ministry to conduct research and establish a holistic mental health program.
“Guyana is in the process of contracting a firm so that by the first half of 2024, a functional electronic medical record is in place,” he said.
The advisor cautioned against relying on potentially misleading statistics, urging the public to place greater confidence in the expertise of professionals and the Ministry of Health. He addressed the misconception of Guyana having the highest suicide rate and announced plans for a functional electronic medical record system by the first half of 2023 to ensure accurate data.

Dr Ramsammy detailed the implementation of a suspicion index for depression in 2023, allowing professionals such as nurses and teachers to identify individuals with mental health issues promptly. The government’s commitment to mental health was further demonstrated by the recent passage of the Mental Health Bill and Suicide Prevention Bill, adopting modernized strategies to address mental health challenges.
“Suicide kills people, mental health disorders kill people and that understanding we need to develop, not only among ordinary people, among us, policy makers, service providers, our doctors and nurses and unless we have a strong mental health literacy programme, we cannot talk about wellness,” he asserted.

High quality
Looking ahead, Dr Ramsammy expressed confidence in Guyana’s dedication to fostering a high-quality mental health program, vowing to allocate adequate budgets to comprehensively address mental health issues. The forthcoming operational electronic health record system aims to streamline data management and calculation processes, marking a significant step towards a more robust mental health infrastructure in Guyana.
Meanwhile, the country representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Nicolas Pron, emphasized the importance of addressing mental health in schools.
“Next year, UNICEF will be gathering available data to support the development of a comprehensive mental health plan which will be used to guide the implementation of further interventions,” Pron said.
UNICEF is working with the Ministry of Education in Guyana to explore ways to incorporate mental wellness into the curriculum. Pron mentioned that acting early is crucial for tackling poor mental health, and UNICEF plans to gather data to support the development of a comprehensive mental health plan.
The Health Ministry in Guyana, in collaboration with UNICEF, launched a pilot program on mental health and psychosocial well-being for children and adolescents this year. Additionally, new mental health and suicide prevention legislation was developed to ensure proper care for individuals.
The conference, a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the University of Guyana, and international bodies, aims to discuss global responses and recommendations for dealing with mental health.
Emmanuel Cummings, UG’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, highlighted the university’s engagement with the Education Ministry to have social workers in schools. He emphasized the role of parenting and late interventions in contributing to mental health issues.
Professor Christina Hoven from Columbia University suggested enrolling in the Guyana Research in Injury and Trauma Training (GRITT) program to contribute to mental health research and capacity-building in trauma and injury prevention. The GRITT program focuses on understanding and developing interventions to prevent trauma and injury, including suicide and automobile crashes, with the next cohort registration starting on March 15, 2024. (G9)