Mental health patients languish in health-care system for years – Health Minister

…relatives bemoan National Psychiatric Hospital’s actions in patient release
…as National Mental Health Action Plan launched

In a revelation that underscores the urgent need for mental health reform, Guyana’s Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony revealed a troubling reality at the forefront of the nation’s health agenda, stating that there were individuals with mental health conditions who have been under the care of the Health Ministry and healthcare providers for more than 10 to 15 years.
The minister was at the time speaking at the launching the National Mental Health Action Plan and National Suicide Prevention Plan for Guyana 2024-2030 on Tuesday at Health Ministry’s Brickdam, Georgetown, headquarters.
He said this sheds light on the challenges faced by those struggling with mental health issues in Guyana.
Despite receiving treatment, many individuals find themselves trapped in a cycle of prolonged hospitalisation, isolated from their families and communities.
Dr Anthony attributed this prolonged stay not to the efficacy of treatment, but rather to a heartbreaking societal stigma that ostracises these individuals from their own families. He lamented that, in many instances, even after receiving treatment, their families refuse to take them back.
Anthony emphasised the importance of widespread education to dispel misconceptions surrounding mental illness and to promote understanding and acceptance within society.

“There will have to be a lot of education…once people are on treatment they will be ok. There is a different way of viewing mental health. Before, with the old legislation, what we used to do, you put them in an institution. That is not the right way of treating people with mental health illnesses…”, he said.
“We will be working with the public, we will be doing more ads, we will be shifting how we do services, at the primary health levels…we don’t want to have a specialised mental health centre, so our primary care physicians must be able to do all the basic treatment for these conditions”.
The minister said as it relates to mental health, depression, and anxiety are more prevalent and they are working to curb this.
“If depression goes undiagnosed, among depressed people we have seen more suicide rates so we have developed a tool that you can use to detect depression, and based on that, the physician should be able to treat”, Anthony said.

Dropped off, no verification
Even with this revelation, some families have been complaining that their relatives are being dropped off by mental health institutions in Guyana at random family members or friends without proper verification, and their relatives suffering from mental health issues are going missing.
Just a few days ago, a man who was discharged from the National Psychiatric Hospital; was dropped off in custody of a minor and is now missing.
Authorities are being called upon to pay closer attention to the National Psychiatric Hospital (NPH) situated at Fort Canje, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
This occurred after the discharge of several patients; three of them are now roaming the New Amsterdam Market and a fourth is now missing, according to relatives.
It was reported that on Thursday, that a 49-year-old man who has been a patient of the institution for well over ten years was dropped off at the home of a cousin and left at the gate.
The man previously lived in another section of New Amsterdam with his mother but during his over 10 years at the institution, she passed away. The house, he once lived in, is now abandoned.
However, relatives said that the staff at the NPH allegedly took him to Greater New Amsterdam where a 16-year-old girl was at home and asked her if she knew the 49-year-old man and she said it was her cousin. The teen then related that her parents were not at home and they would have to return but the staff left him there.
The mother of the teen reached on to this publication and had her relate what transpired.
“I was in the hammock and saw the bus stopped and a girl and a boy came out and they walked in the yard and the girl asked for my mother and I say she just gone out on the road. She asked me if I know this man and I told her that I know his face…” the teen said.
The teenager said she was then able to recognize that it was her cousin and called him by name and he responded.
“Then she just say that he get discharged and he is not mad. He needs to come out from there and take his medication,” the teenager said.
Meanwhile, the teen’s mother said that had she been at home, she was going to accept her nephew but noted that she does not have accommodation.
“But I would have told them that they have to carry him to where his house is. His mother made a house before she died…”, she said.
Arrangements were made to have the man sent to a brother on the East Bank of Berbice.
“He told me to put him in a car and send him but like he didn’t want to go…”
Family members have since reported to the police that the 49-year-old man cannot be found and his whereabouts are unknown.

Roaming streets
Meanwhile, on the same day, another man who was sent to NPH by a magistrate 13 years ago after he was deemed unfit to stand trial was also dropped off at a relative’s house.
According to the man’s sister, the house her bother lived at before becoming ill is abandoned. She said on Thursday a bus pulled up in front of her house and dropped him off and left.
“I was not at home and my kids were alone at home. The eldest is 20, but she did not answer when they called it was the 15-year-old who answered and the girl just asked is ‘My name’ is living here and she said ‘yes’. She didn’t ask if I was at home or anything. She just opened the bus door and put the patient out on the bridge and gave him his bag. By the time the eldest could have come out to ask her anything she just locked the bus door and the bus drove off,” the sister related.
The patient, whose family members said is violent was seen in the vicinity of the New Amsterdam Market later in the day. He is now living on the streets.
Reports are that at least two other patients were discharged from the institution last week in a similar nature. They too have been living on the streets in New Amsterdam since last week.
According to the sister of one of the persons, she received a telephone call from the NPH at about 10:00h on Thursday last informing her that her brother was discharged from the institution and four hours later he was dropped off at her 15-year-old daughter.
“She said that they were evaluating him and he was fit to come back into society; he had a stable mind and based on the conversation that they were having with him he has memories and I asked her what kind of memories. She said he said we have a house in Islington. I told her that house we were renting and we no longer live there.”
The sister said she indicated to the caller that she was living at a house, she rents from someone and other tenants are living in the lower flat.
“She tells me if I can’t knock up something in the backyard and put him inside because he can do things for himself. I said to her ‘Miss I just said to you that I am living on a rental property, it is not my premises I am living on to put him on. She said okay we will get back to you and the next ‘get back’ is that he was dropped off in front of my gate,” she said.
According to the young lady, when her brother became ill, she was 13-years-old and now she is in her thirties. Hence, he does not have a relationship with her brother.
“The way they go about dealing with these patients is wrong, at least give the family a heads up. Meaning that they should call and say this is what we are about to do… If they tell us that like in another two to three weeks, we would release the patient, so, that the family would have enough time to get themselves together,” the woman said
Calls to the NPH for a comment on the issue were redirected to the Health Ministry.

National Mental Health Action Plan
As the country grapples with this mental health crisis, Minister Anthony also candidly disclosed it is imperative for immediate action. With determination and resolve, Guyana is poised to embark on a transformative journey towards a more compassionate and inclusive approach to mental health care, ensuring that no individual is left behind.
As such, on Tuesday, the Health Ministry in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) launched the National Mental Health Action Plan and National Suicide Prevention Plan for the years 2024-2030. This event took place at the Ministry’s Brickdam Georgetown headquarters conference room.
The National Mental Health Action Plan is expected to outline a roadmap for improving mental health services, accessibility, and quality of care across the country. It is poised to address various aspects of mental health, including awareness, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, thereby fostering a supportive environment for individuals grappling with mental health issues.
Simultaneously, the National Suicide Prevention Plan underscores the urgent need to combat the alarming rates of suicide in Guyana. By implementing targeted interventions, raising awareness, and providing vital support networks, the plan endeavours to mitigate risk factors associated with suicide while enhancing protective factors within communities.