Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CCPA) Ann Greene has announced that Government will be building a new drop-in centre, where families with mental health issues can be housed and counselled together.
According to Green, a plan to also implement mental health counselling at community health centres across the country will soon be in place so persons could have a better understanding of the issue.
Greene made the announcement during a media workshop on Saturday in observance of Foster Care Month.
Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency Ann Greene
The aim of this venture is to increase awareness of mental health, improve understanding of mental health issues and develop support systems for those who live in communities with high levels of mental health issues.
“We need to start dealing with this issue, mental health is a big issue, and we can’t just pretend it’s not. So this will be a very good initiative and it will help persons to deal with the stresses of life,” Green told the gathering of media workers.
The project is said to have special focus placed on addressing concurrent disorders, suicide prevention and coping mechanisms.
Mental health has been a major issue for Guyana, with the country recording one of the highest suicide rates in the world. A number of programmes have since come on stream to assist with issues of mental health in Guyana.
