Published 10 October 2019
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
DISCUSSIONS SURROUNDING MENTAL HEALTH ARE INCREASING IN THE FEDERATION
Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 10, 2019 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is continuing to develop its citizens’ awareness of health issues by increasing the conversation around mental health.
This was according to the Director of the Counseling Department in the Ministry of Social Services, Michelle de la Coudray-Blake, during the radio and television show “Working for You” on October 9.
“We’ve come to a place where I think now that we recognize that it should be as normal to talk about mental health just like how we talk about diabetes,” said Director de la Coudray-Blake.
She said that traditionally, persons with mental health issues have been viewed as morally or spiritually weak individuals.
However, the director said that over time, with the availability of information and having more awareness, “We recognise that mental health, physical health, emotional health, all of it is similar, meaning that we all experience situations where our health is affected.”
The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, observed today, Thursday, October 10 is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide.”
Here in St. Kitts and Nevis, authorities have organized several activities from October 6th to 11th to draw awareness to mental health issues.
