Georgetown: As a student, Julius Bacchus once contemplated suicide, however, with the assistance from caring peers and villagers, he overcame his depression. From being a troubled youth, Bacchus is now the President of Golden Grove Young Achievers Youth Group (GGYAYG). He is inspired by his struggles to counsel other youth with mental health issues.
“In my village, there are a lot of youth who hang around smoking, and go through a lot of episodes, so with this knowledge I take today, I can help them, to be better and to change their ways.”
Bacchus spoke about his close brush with suicide last Saturday, April 6, when the Department of Social Cohesion’s Culture, Youth and Sport, and Region Four’s Regional Democratic Council (RDC) hosted its first Mental Health session for young people.
The event was held at the Plaisance Secondary School Under the theme, “Universal Health Care: Everyone, Everywhere.”
Bacchus will now use the added knowledge from the session to help others to cope and overcome mental health illness.
Social Worker attached to the department, Gillian Frank said “we are raising awareness on youth and health because that is one of our thematic areas at the ministry, and with this activity, we can meet a lot of young people, to raise awareness about youth and mental health”.
This initiative was birthed after it was recognised that many young people have little knowledge about mental health, its symptoms, its effects and who it affects.
Sharing her views, GGYAYG, Kimberly Kingston is now better equipped to detect the symptoms of mental illness and can render assistance where the need arises. Kingston plans to establish a focus group so that affected persons can join and receive treatment to cope with their mental health disorders.
This session will be the first of four quarterly events that will be hosted for the remainder of the year by the youth department.
As of February 21, 2018, the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Heal Guyana, reported that over 200,000 Guyanese suffer from mental health illness. The World Health Organisation (WHO), in a report in October 2010, said over 350 million people suffer from mental health disorders; depression being a disorder which affects persons between the ages of 15-29.
It is a mental health disorder which causes a person to contemplate suicide. WHO stated that suicide is now one of the world’s leading causes of death among the youth at over 10 deaths per 100,000 (population), annually.
In their report, the Public Health Ministry’s Health Vision for 2020 for Non-Communicable Diseases, targets the reduction of modifiable risk factors and premature mortality from chronic diseases. Other Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) targeted are mental health, accidents and violence.
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