NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamians are more open to the idea of counseling for mental health issues, according to Councilor and Chairperson of the World Mental Health Day Committee Kennita Saunders, who suggested the shift may be due to the stress and trauma brought on by both Hurricane Dorian and the Pandemic.
She said that when Hurricane Dorian occurred, the association opened mental health lines to service those in need.
“Due to the impact, a number of persons, I think the most calls we received from 2019 were over 200 from the end of 2019 and beginning part in March 2020 COVID-19 came so that also impacted the number of calls that we received during the pandemic. So that was very hard on individuals because we had callers from all over the islands and we also had callers worldwide as well,” Saunders said.
The mental health counselor explained that those two major events helped to sensitize the public and shape a new culture in the way people view mental health locally. She added that as tension surrounding Dorian and the pandemic ease, mental healthcare providers are seeing fewer outcries, but not as few as there were before the two events occurred.
“It will be up and down; nevertheless, you’ll still have persons slowly asking for help. So the number would always fluctuate.
“But I appreciate the fact that mental health is now being recognized in the country and persons are taking it seriously to not only use mental health in a time of crisis but in everyday living and everyday situations.”
On Friday morning, the Public Hospitals Authority, with the Pan-American Health Organization, and the Bahamas Psychological Association held their annual, World Mental Health Day symposium.
“This year’s topic was ‘Make Mental Health and Wellbeing a Global Priority for All.’ So that is important for our country as a nation to be recognized and be aware of the stigma as it relates to mental health and the importance of it as a country” Saunders said.
She says they are pleased that more people are willing to address their mental health, however, they will continue encouraging more people to be aware of when they need help and how to get it.
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