‘Mental healthcare can start in schools’

An adolescent health specialist agrees with the idea of early, cost-effective mental health interventions in schools, to complement those offered by regional healthcare systems.

Elizabeth Mandeville, in responding to a question on how resource-limited countries can build effective mental healthcare systems, agreed with the proposal that interventions in school would be a good place to start and economical.

“If you look at the education system, you can start in the schools. There needs to be some type of focus where children are aware of some of the signs or the symptoms of mental health illnesses so that they can alert their teachers,” she said.

Mandeville was speaking during a question-and-answer session at the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s 69th Annual Health Research Conference on Wednesday.

But student awareness alone is not enough, she said. Parents, teachers and guidance counsellors must also be trained to respond to changing mental health trends and evidence.

“You also need to have interventions with [them] as well, because as you know, information changes over time. So they need to be up-to-date as to the current evidence that is occurring,” Mandeville told the audience.

With many adolescents reluctant to seek help through traditional medical channels, Mandeville said digital tools and alternative service delivery models could help.

“Technology can be used to bridge some of those gaps, especially with adolescents where they can find a safe space in order to communicate with either a healthcare professional or someone that they can trust.”

She also emphasised the importance of discretion and flexibility in service delivery, particularly in the face of stigma.

“With mental health there is sometimes a stigma attached to persons having mental health disorders and therefore children and adolescents, sometimes they don’t feel comfortable in coming to a healthcare facility,” Mandeville said.

“This is where interventions like having the home visits and the telehealth can actually help in those specific instances so persons might feel a bit more comfortable in speaking one-on-one to a healthcare professional.” (SZB)