NATIONAL HOTLINE FOR MENTAL HEALTH

Barbados will soon have a national hotline for mental health and suicide prevention.
The announcement was made on Monday by Chief Medical Officer Dr The Most Honourable Kenneth George, who stated that, just as residents have been concerned about the number of people taking their own lives in recent months, the Ministry of Health has been concerned for some time about the number of other self hard incidents being documented. 

During a Media Sensitisation Workshop for Suicide Prevention, funded by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which was held at Accra Beach Hotel, Dr George said the new hotline was needed given the mental health challenges being seeing in younger persons.

“The Ministry of Health and Wellness is concerned about the reports of self-harm and suicide, particularly in teenagers and young adults, and males are the most vulnerable populations in Barbados. Although the suicide rate in Barbados is well below the estimated global averages, it is critical that we address this phenomenon head-on as we try to place the appropriate health systems in place for comprehensive mental health reform.