Antigua and Barbuda’s observance of Suicide Prevention Month has underscored the pressing need for improved mental health services, an issue that has posed challenges for countless families over the years.
Recent events have also brought this issue to the forefront. On August 31, Rashawn ‘Turtle’ Shabazz, who has a mental illness, was shot by police following an altercation in St John’s, resulting in the loss of a kidney. He is currently recovering in hospital.
In a candid discussion on Observer AM yesterday, psychiatrist Dr Chenelle Joseph addressed deficiencies within the country’s mental health system, particularly focusing on Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital, the country’s sole psychiatric facility.
“Our current model at Clarevue is not appropriate,” she said. “Many individuals spend years there, and the days when someone would live in a psychiatric hospital are long gone.
“Similar to a medical hospital, patients should receive treatment and then return to their lives. However, the situation varies for those with mental illness; some require ongoing assistance.”
She further noted, “Mental health in modern times is managed in the medical facility so theoretically there should be a ward or a unit in Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre dealing with mental illness. Gone are the days where mental illness is treated in an asylum, miles away from everything else.”
Dr Joseph acknowledged the challenges posed by existing hospital infrastructure, adding, “Unfortunately, with the current hospital infrastructure and its limited space, a separate facility is necessary for our country.”
The doctor also shared her personal vision for a comprehensive mental health care facility, designed to meet the diverse needs of the population.
She elaborated, “What I’m picturing is a compound where you have a hospital setting but there’s also clinics where you can go to get counselling, to get medication, there would be group homes for people who need long-term management which is more modern.”
While noting that would require significant financial resources, she explained, ” I’m thinking outside of that facility, to do it from scratch I would need to purchase a large enough piece of land and then I would need to get blueprints on what the facility would look like.”
Emphasising the importance of its proximity to the medical hospital, she highlighted that “mental health is health, and mental health can affect physical health”.
The Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital is said to be filled to capacity while its dilapidated state and sparse resources have long been a concern for local residents.