Foundation says more seeking help to deal with effects of COVID-19

The Substance Abuse Foundation (SAF) is reporting a significant increase in calls to its hotline as Barbadians struggle to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clinical Director of Verdun and Marina House, Allison Gotip, told Barbados TODAY that since January, the hotline has seen a 25 per cent increase in calls from a cross-section of persons who have complained of feeling suicidal and are having issues managing their addictions. There are also callers who are finding it difficult to stay in the same household with partners and relatives for long periods because of curfew restrictions.

Gotip said during the stay-at-home weekend, the hotline received approximately ten calls from persons threatening to commit suicide.

“We are getting more calls on our hotline than ever before and from persons who are reaching out because they are feeling suicidal as well. Whilst we would have one or two last year, we have seen an increase. The weekend before, we had about six to ten calls in one weekend. Some people who don’t always want to share information, feel more comfortable speaking to a complete stranger and not just someone invested in your intimate situation.

“We have also had a lot of calls from persons who want to speak about issues in their relationships. We are getting calls from a cross section of society; we have had a range of persons, from persons who have very good jobs to persons who may not be in that category, requesting our services.

“We have been doing workplace interventions for employers who want to know how to cope with an employee who doesn’t seem to be coping with reduced hours of work or who seems not to be giving of their best, or who we suspect has been drinking and it’s COVID-19 and we don’t want to make the problem worse by getting rid of them,” she said.

She added that since the pandemic in Barbados one year ago, the foundation has seen a 50 per cent increase in demand for its outpatient services, which includes employers requesting workplace intervention because they were concerned about how their employees were coping with the pandemic.

“In just under a year, we have started to see that increase of persons utilizing our outpatient services on the various levels that we do counselling on and not just for addictions. Some things are related to addiction and drug abuse, but some things are independent. Now we have situations with persons who are struggling to deal with isolation and because of that we have done several webinars over the last couple of weeks with regards to dealing with depression and anxiety, mental health, and mental awareness,” she said.

“People are not handling relationships well because you have husbands and wives and parents and their children spending more and more time with each other and not knowing how to cope with these long hours together because of the COVID-19 protocols and restrictions. How do I interact and communicate with this person whom I would have just said good morning to them in the morning and good evening in the evening? Now I am spending longer hours with this person and I don’t even realize who this person is. I didn’t know this person drink so much. So we do family therapy as well,” Gotip added.

She also reported that despite the fact that Barbados was battling to contain the COVID-19 community spread, Verdun House and Marina House has still seen a steady flow of admissions to residential treatment programmes.

She said while people have been seeking assistance through in-house rehab, they must show a negative COVID-19 test result before being admitted.

The clinical director said it was important that Barbadians understand that they can contact the foundation’s hotline at 243-0038 for counselling and support if they are struggling to cope with the impact of the pandemic.

Gotip also stressed that it was important at this time that persons be their brother’s keeper and reach out to those in need within the constraints of the COVID-19 protocols.

“We are here, we are opened 24 hours, seven days a week and it is important for us to understand that mental wellness is paramount. And if we can help each other throughout the crisis then hopefully the repercussions wouldn’t be as significant as what is being predicted.

“Like with COVID-19, mental wellness and mental health are no respecter of persons. People may think they are coping and they are not because they have lost their job and that is grief in itself, and they are trying to keep things going financially but they are struggling,” she said.
(anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)