Youths at risk of mental illness

Acting principal medical officer in the Ministry of Health Dr Maryam Richards said young people were particularly susceptible to developing mental illness owing to the pressures of a changing world, and urged all stakeholders to partner with the ministry in addressing mental illness in a practical, multi-faceted approach.

Speaking at the first Youth Mental Health Workshop at the Government Campus Plaza Auditorium on Richmond Street, Port of Spain, Thursday, Richards said the increasing popularity of social media technology has placed young people at risk of developing mental illness from harmful trends such as cyber-bullying and body shaming.

She said despite improvements in the perception of mental health locally, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, among others, were still seen as taboo. “Our youths are particularly at risk because we all live in a rapidly changing world and we now understand the impacts of cyber-bullying, violence, peer pressure and community warfare.” She said the ministry needed to assist the nation by helping equip young people with the skills to prevent them from developing mental health problems.

“The issue of mental health should no longer be seen as a taboo subject. It should no longer be a subject that we joke about, that we discriminate against people for. As citizens we must take our mental health as seriously as our physical health. We need the youths to shift the narrative of mental illness.”

She urged students at the workshop to encourage their peers who suffer mental illness to seek help, and reminded them that it was possible to live a normal life with mental illness, with the proper treatment.

CEO of the North West Regional Health Authority Wendy Ali urged students to value themselves and avoid allowing social media and peer pressure to influence their behaviour and attitudes.

The workshop was the first of its kind in TT and included students from 240 secondary schools in the Port of Spain education district.