DESPITE YEARS of public education, stigma surrounding mental illness remains a major barrier to progress in Barbados, says Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Davidson Ishmael.
Addressing the Psychiatric Hospital’s Mental Health Month church service at New Dimensions Ministries, Barbarees Hill, St Michael, yesterday, he lamented that too many Barbadians still associate mental illness solely with institutional care and not as part of everyday well-being.
“The stigma associated with mental illness often deprives persons of positive community and social interactions when they are most needed,” he said. “We wish to change the concept of mental health being confined to hospitals or clinics and instead portray it as a way of life we all have responsibility for achieving.”
Ishmael said mental health should be viewed on a continuum – one on which everyone fluctuates depending on life’s challenges.
“Today we may be very good and strong in mental health, and tomorrow something can happen to move us a couple of notches down.”
With this year’s Mental Health Month activities being held under the theme Community: Supporting Mental Well-being Together,
he urged Barbadians to play an active role in supporting those affected, particularly through faith-based and community institutions.
Hospitalisation rates
Ishmael revealed that the ministry and the Psychiatric Hospital had been expanding community-based mental health services to bring care closer to the people and reduce hospitalisation rates. Three multidisciplinary community mental health teams – comprising doctors, psychologists, community nurses and social workers – currently operate across polyclinics and in neighbourhoods, he added.
These teams, he told the congregation, conducted more than 22 000 client encounters in 2024, representing an increase from the previous year, while 6 695 home visits were also made to individuals unable to attend clinics. He also pointed out the addition of four counselling psychologists in June 2024 to strengthen community outreach, and the introduction of standard operating procedures to ensure consistency in care.
Special attention is being paid to child and adolescent mental health, Ishmael said. He reported that the Thrive Family Centre and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinic at the Branford Taitt Polyclinic in Black Rock, St Michael, had been recording sharp increases in demand.
Early interventions
In 2024, outpatient visits rose by almost 30 per cent, while admissions at the 12-bed Thrive Centre climbed to 100, a 23 per cent jump from 2023, Ishmael said. He added that the majority of young clients were referred for behavioural and learning disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression
– conditions often linked to social and environmental pressures.
“This reinforces the need for early interventions and appropriate support within the community to decrease the need for specialised inpatient care for our children and adolescents,” he said.
Among the ministry’s new initiatives is a Psychological First Aid Action Plan developed to ensure that communities are better equipped to respond during crises.
Around 160 public officers and community-based personnel have already been trained, with plans to reach an additional 120 participants this year, including first responders from the Barbados Police Service, Barbados Defence Force and the Barbados Fire Service.
Training will also extend to faith-based organisations, barbers, hairdressers and teachers, Ishmael said, with the aim of creating a corps of “mental health first aiders” throughout the island.
He pointed to the launch of a Perinatal Mental Health Programme designed to support new parents and strengthen family resilience during and after pregnancy. So far, 119 primary health care workers have been trained and a healthy parenting conference in May drew 140 participants.
Turning to policy, Ishmael said Government was reviewing the Mental Health Act of 1985 to modernise it and focus more on patients’ rights, consent and community-based care rather than institutionalisation.
“The proposed new legislation will aim to guarantee that assessments and treatments are provided with minimal restrictions, while promoting recovery and safeguarding individual rights,” he explained.
He urged Barbadians to reject stigma and embrace compassion.
“Communities are indispensable for fostering mental well-being,” he said, quoting from an international behavioural health report.
“By addressing barriers and promoting inclusivity, communities nurture environments where everyone feels valued and understood.”
He then called on citizens to “partner with the Ministry of Health and Wellness as we create an environment conducive to the mental well-being of all residents”.
(CLM)
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