The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A LEADING Bahamian psychiatrist said the stigma against mental health illnesses has been reduced and more persons are coming forward to seek help.

Dr Jean Turnquest, clinical director of psychiatry at Grand Bahama Health Services (GBHS), said more people are coming at an early stage for treatment rather than waiting until their condition becomes more severe.

“I find that people are coming more readily at an early stage, and hopefully the message will continue that we all have mental health issues, but there are degrees: minor, major and severe,” she said.

World Mental Health Day is observed October 10 every year. This year’s theme is “Dignity in Mental Health.” The World Mental Health Day Committee in Grand Bahama held a one-day educational forum at the Rand Memorial Hospital on Thursday.

The committee also held a number of activities during the month, including a walkathon, and a high school video competition on this year’s theme to raise awareness and educate the public about mental health.

In Grand Bahama, there have been a few suicide cases this year: a taxi driver was discovered last week hanged at his home and earlier in the year a young man was discovered hanging from a tree in bushes in the Lucaya area.

Just recently, an elderly man suffering from dementia was also found dead in bushes after he disappeared from his home.

Dr R Reddy, co-chair of the committee, said the forum is designed to promote awareness of mental health and various programmes at GBHS.

“It is important to educate the general population about mental health,” he said. He noted that persons sometimes develop mental health issues from drug abuse. Other issues, he said, are depression and bipolar depression.

Dr Turnquest said that mental health issues can arise from emotional problems that can affect a person mentally.

Despite the economic hardship and high unemployment rate in Grand Bahama there has not been much change in mental health statistics, she said.

When asked about an increase of dementia, the veteran psychiatrist noted that Bahamians are living longer and dementia is a feature of old age.

“It is a mental health issue, but we say statistics are higher because people are living longer and more people are prone to dementia, which usually starts after the age of 65,” she said.

Dr Turnquest said WMHD was established by the Federation of Mental Health and has been observed and celebrated globally since 1972.

Human rights activist and former educator Joseph Darville was the keynote speaker at this year’s educational forum. Awards and certificates were presented to the Sunland Baptist School and Eight Mile Rock High School for their participation in the video competition on this year’s theme.

Dr Turnquest commended the students in creating videos and noted that Sunland’s video received 730 “likes” and EMHS received 638 “likes” on social media. “We are especially proud of our high school students for tackling a difficult topic so well. At the same time, the students helped the mental health team to achieve their goal of raising awareness of mental health issues in Grand Bahama,” she said.

The videos can still be viewed at www.facebook.com/ 2015worldmentalhealthdayGB.

After more than 40 years in the field of psychiatry, Dr Turnquest said she will be retiring this year.

“I joined the Mental Health Unit in 1972 so that makes it 43 years and I am quite ready to retire. I feel encouraged because while there is still a stigma, it is not as strong as before. My task, apart from helping to treat, has been to educate and make people aware that mental health issues are not only serious issues, but minor issues, and that we do better preventing the issue or treating them at an early stage,” she said.