The Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence (DMHSD) in the Ministry of Health and Human Services joins the World Federation of Mental Health to commemorate World Mental Health Day on Thursday October 10th. The DMHSD supports this initiative through raising awareness on mental health issues.
The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is “Mental health and older adults”.
The Department will be conducting activities including:
• Mental Health Educational lectures/sessions.
Thursday October 10th from 9:00 am to 12:30pm at the Dillon Hall in Grand Turk and Friday October 11th from 9:00am to 12:30pm at the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) in Providenciales
• Appearances on outreach media, RTC, Breakfast program and others.
• A community information drive including information stands at Cockburn Town Medical Center and Cheshire Hall Medical Center.
• A Walk to End Alzheimer’s Saturday October 12th Check-in and registration is slated to start at 6:00am and walk will begin at 6:30am from the Library Tennis Court in Grand Turk.
Mental disorders affect nearly 12 percent of the world’s population. That means about 450 million or one out of every four people around the world will experience a mental illness that would benefit from diagnosis and treatment. Here in the Turks and Caicos, 75 to 80 percent of persons referred to the DMHSD have a diagnosable mental health disorder. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which people realize their own potential, can cope with normal life stresses, can work productively, and can contribute to their community.
As in many countries, mental health services in the TCI have minimal human and financial resources and more funding is needed to promote mental health to increase people’s awareness of the issue.
For further information on World Mental Health Day, kindly contact the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Department within the Ministry of Health and Human Services at: 649-946-2801 Ext 50504 Grand Turk or Providenciales 82500.
