Address mental health issues

Do not be intimidated by the stigma associated with mental health. Instead, recognise that this may be the root cause of why some young people chose to engage in negative behaviours.

This is according to the Chairman of the Board of Management of Christ Church Foundation School, Orlando “Gabby” Scott who spoke at the school’s Speech Day and Prize Giving Ceremony earlier this week at the school.

He stated that many times persons tend to shy away from these issues when in fact, they should be speaking out about them.

“We live in a culture in which we get nervous when we speak about mental health. But very importantly we must awake from our slumber of backward thinking and open our eyes to the real issues which confront our nation. We must initiate discussion in relation to the mental health of our children, some of whom come from troubled homes where they may be issues such as domestic violence, poverty, or narcotic use, all of which we believe impact negatively on their behaviours.”

The School Board Chairman stated that statistics in the UK indicate that while 10 per cent of children in that country between the ages of five and 16 years experience mental health issues, 70 per cent of them do not receive the treatment that they need and if this is so for a developed nation such as Britain where there is a highly developed health care system, then how much more worrying is it for Barbados.