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Saint Lucia Observes World Mental Health Day

St. Lucia and the rest of the world commemorated World Mental Health Day {October 10} with the aim of raising awareness about mental health priorities. The day also calls for greater investment and action to improve access and support to mental health care worldwide. The theme for this year’s observance, set by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) is “Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.” This global theme emphasizes the critical need for robust mental health support during crises like natural disasters, conflicts, and public health emergencies, highlighting the urgent need to ensure that mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) reaches those people affected. The COVID-19 pandemic is said to have significantly intensified the mental health crisis across the Americas, revealing and deepening existing gaps in our mental health systems. People of all ages experienced heightened levels of stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma. Prior to the pandemic, mental health services in many countries, including our own, were already under-resourced, fragmented, and overstretched. With the COVID-19 pandemic, it disrupted what limited services existed, at a time when the need was rising dramatically. This experience has underscored the urgent need to strengthen our mental health systems, integrate mental health into general health care, and treat mental health as a public health priority. The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs is also providing mental health services within the community through a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals, including a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioners and other mental health workers. This community team conducts scheduled visits to various regions to provide follow-up care and ongoing management. People who believe they are experiencing mental health symptoms, and who have not previously accessed mental health services, can visit any of the Community Wellness Centres. The District Medical Officer will assess them and, if necessary, refer them to the appropriate mental health service. In cases of emergency, they can go directly to the Emergency Room, where the same referral process will be followed. This approach ensures that any underlying medical conditions contributing to mental health symptoms are addressed, as mental health services are considered part of tertiary care. Recognizing the critical need for strong leadership in mental health, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs has established the position of a Director of Mental Health. This move is aimed at providing focused leadership, coordination, and accountability in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of mental health services at all levels of care. Some of the key elements of the mandate of the Director of Mental Health include, but are not limited to the following: To assist in preparation of work programmes relating to mental health services in St Lucia. To support the review of relevant mental health services legislation, policies and procedures in consultation with stakeholders. To establish linkages with all relevant stakeholders though collaborating and networking at the local, regional and international levels. To provide leadership in developing innovative community mental health programmes. The Ministry of Health remains committed to making mental health a priority. Currently, we are working towards updating the national policy and legislation for mental health in Saint Lucia and will continue to engage the public and stakeholders over the coming months.

VP Digital •
Saint Lucia Observes World Mental Health Day
St. Lucia and the rest of the world commemorated World Mental Health Day {October 10} with the aim of raising awareness about mental health priorities. The day also calls for greater investment and action to improve access and support to mental health care worldwide. The theme for this year’s observance, set by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) is “Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.” This global theme emphasizes the critical need for robust mental health support during crises like natural disasters, conflicts, and public health emergencies, highlighting the urgent need to ensure that mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) reaches those people affected. The COVID-19 pandemic is said to have significantly intensified the mental health crisis across the Americas, revealing and deepening existing gaps in our mental health systems. People of all ages experienced heightened levels of stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma. Prior to the pandemic, mental health services in many countries, including our own, were already under-resourced, fragmented, and overstretched. With the COVID-19 pandemic, it disrupted what limited services existed, at a time when the need was rising dramatically. This experience has underscored the urgent need to strengthen our mental health systems, integrate mental health into general health care, and treat mental health as a public health priority. The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs is also providing mental health services within the community through a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals, including a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioners and other mental health workers. This community team conducts scheduled visits to various regions to provide follow-up care and ongoing management. People who believe they are experiencing mental health symptoms, and who have not previously accessed mental health services, can visit any of the Community Wellness Centres. The District Medical Officer will assess them and, if necessary, refer them to the appropriate mental health service. In cases of emergency, they can go directly to the Emergency Room, where the same referral process will be followed. This approach ensures that any underlying medical conditions contributing to mental health symptoms are addressed, as mental health services are considered part of tertiary care. Recognizing the critical need for strong leadership in mental health, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs has established the position of a Director of Mental Health. This move is aimed at providing focused leadership, coordination, and accountability in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of mental health services at all levels of care. Some of the key elements of the mandate of the Director of Mental Health include, but are not limited to the following: To assist in preparation of work programmes relating to mental health services in St Lucia. To support the review of relevant mental health services legislation, policies and procedures in consultation with stakeholders. To establish linkages with all relevant stakeholders though collaborating and networking at the local, regional and international levels. To provide leadership in developing innovative community mental health programmes. The Ministry of Health remains committed to making mental health a priority. Currently, we are working towards updating the national policy and legislation for mental health in Saint Lucia and will continue to engage the public and stakeholders over the coming months.
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