radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
T&T is facing a worsening mental health crisis in which 306 children have been treated for suicidal ideation and self-harm by the Children’s Authority (CA) since the start of the pandemic.
For this year alone, 33 children showed signs of suicide ideation and self-injury, of which only one was diagnosed with mental health disease.
The statistics were revealed during a Parliament Joint Select Committee (JSC) inquiry into the mental health and psychological services available to the population during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on measures to curb substance abuse and suicide.
Chair of the JSC Paul Richards said based on data obtained from Lifeline, in 2019 only six suicide calls were made per day. However, he said, between 2020 to 2022, suicidal calls went up to 10 to 30 calls per day.
Richards revealed that the suicide age group was 20 years to 78 years but 82 per cent of the callers were less than 40 years old. Interestingly, a total of 65 per cent of the callers were male.
Saying the statistics were of concern, Paul revealed there were 144 reported cases of suicide ideation and reported attempts of self-harm in 2020 and three reported cases of mental health challenges while in 2021 there were 118 cases of suicide ideation and three reported cases of mental health challenges.
Meanwhile, deputy director of the CA Child Care Unit, Rhonda Gregoire-Roopchan said despite these statistics involving children, it can take two weeks to a month for a child to get a placement at St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital. She said in the interim, the Authority has been working with a range of institutions such as the Rape Crisis Society, Church communities, St Vincent De Paul and other NGOs with specialised services to get assistance.
She revealed there were 55 children at child care centres in Trinidad and six children in Tobago but not all of them have been diagnosed with mental illness.
Gregoire-Roopchan called for the development of a facility to treat children with mental health challenges noting that some children require long term treatment and multi-disciplinary aid.
Meanwhile, the president of the T&T Association of Psychologists Charles Collier also confirmed there has been an increase of children presenting with mental health issues and anxieties caused by the online learning environment.
He said online school restricted social interaction and developmental growth, noting that not all children were able to adapt well.
Collier also revealed that more men have been reaching out for help, noting that traditionally men have been reluctant to access care.
“There has been a significant increase in the volume of demand and many providers have also expressed being overwhelmed and need practising self-care. This speaks to the effect of the pandemic on the population,” Collier added.
Meanwhile, Director of the T&T Suicide and Depression Foundation Chyann Riley said the number of distress calls coming to the Foundation had increased by ten per cent. Another director Keziah Worrel called on the government to hire more guidance counsellors for schools, business places and the community, noting that not everyone could afford counselling.
Dr Patricia Elder, founder of Elder and Associates also said there should be more funding for stakeholders noting there should be a focus on the prevention of mental illness.
And the Chair of Lifeline Lucretia Gabriel recommended that a Multi-agency Risk Assessment Committee be set up so that all stakeholders can work together in an integrated environment to reach those in need. She said her team has worked on MARAC for the past few years and believes if it was implemented this could save money and lives.
