Mental Health among our youth.
Guyana is currently the country with the second-highest suicidal rate in the world.
This fact alone is an indicator that mental health issues are prevalent here in Guyana- especially among our youths.
This is an issue that occurs throughout the entire world. It affects persons from different cultures, colours, religions, nations, and classes. Here in Guyana, in some parts and spaces, the topic is considered to be “Taboo.”
A few years ago in my place of work, the topic of mental health was brought up in front of the employer, to my dismay, he dismissed the topic and refused to discuss it, ending the conversation with “we don’t talk about them nonsense.”
A few years later, I got the chance to sit with him and ask the world’s most asked question “Why?”
His reasons surrounded the fact that he doesn’t believe in mental health and the fact that he thinks, speaking about the issue only encourages it more.
Personally, his reasons made no sense.
Like every other social issue, educating our nation on such topics is important, which means having open conversations and addressing them but in that regard, also being considerate.
There’s a stigma attached to mental health here in Guyana, and it is crucial. It causes struggling persons to desist from seeking the help they deserve.
Government of Guyana, Tabled Mental Health Protection and Promotion Bill.
This sad fact goes to show that there’s a lack of education in this aspect. The topic isn’t understood and so when people see the signs and symptoms, they judge and throw words such as “crazy” or “mad” or even “attention seeker.”
The victims of issues such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc. are then forced to fit themselves in this hole because there’s no one to talk to and society is judging them for something beyond their control.
Having conversations about mental health isn’t the problem, it is the solution.
Guyanese Adolescents are struggling and are unaware because of the mere fact that these topics are not being discussed in schools and youths groups or the home.
7 FACTS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH IN GUYANA
We need to create a safe space to protect our youth.
And we do that by speaking on topics and habits that they can relate to. Allowing them to feel comfortable in speaking about their emotions and what bothers them. And most importantly educating them about everyday social issues.
Mental health involves emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
It influences cognition, perception, and behavior.
It determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making.
A lot of factors contribute to Mental health including, abuse, poverty, loss, homophobia, and trauma. The inability to cope with these issues is what leads to suicidal thoughts.
I’ll end this article with a quote
“what #mentalhealth needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversations.”
