The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is calling for an urgent overhaul of child and adolescent mental health services in Barbados, following the reported death of another child.
In a press statement issued yesterday, DLP spokesperson on health and elder affairs, Felicia Dujon, said the tragedy could not be treated as “simply a moment for condolences”, describing it instead as a public health and healthcare capacity issue that demands a collective response.
Dujon pointed to figures from the Ministry of Health and Wellness showing that 295 young people between the ages of six and 17 presented to the Psychiatric Hospital’s 24-hour Assessment Unit between June and December last year.
“That figure should concern every Barbadian,” Dujon said, calling the seven-month total a “public health warning” rather than an ordinary statistic.
She said the ministry has also noted that psychological and occupational therapy services had been hampered by staffing shortages.
While welcoming Government moves to decentralise child psychological services through the polyclinic system and recruit additional professionals, Dujon argued that the scale of demand requires far greater investment.
‘Shift focus’ She called for more clinical and counselling psychologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, social workers, occupational therapists and trained counsellors, along with dedicated, age-appropriate spaces within the public health system for young people to receive care.
The opposition party spokesperson added that the system needed to shift its focus towards prevention and early intervention, so that children were not left to wait until they reached a psychiatric crisis before receiving help.
She drew a comparison to physical illness, arguing that mental health conditions such as depression, severe anxiety and trauma deserve the same seriousness as cancer or diabetes, but stigma remains a major barrier keeping young people from seeking support.
Trusted adults
Dujon also called on parents, teachers, youth organisations, churches and community groups to play a greater role in supporting children’s emotional wellbeing, and urged classmates and friends of the deceased child to lean on trusted adults as the new school term begins.
“Sometimes, involving a responsible adult is the greatest act of friendship,” she said, urging young people not to keep serious concerns about a friend secret.
The statement made a direct appeal to parents, guardians, teachers and friends “not to wait for a child to become silent” before listening, and not to wait for a crisis before acting.
Dujon said the ministry’s own data made the case for stronger policy action, arguing that with 295 children requiring psychiatric assessment in seven months, Government could not afford to wait for demand to grow further before expanding the specialist workforce.
She stressed the statement was “not about assigning blame”, but about ensuring the health system has the capacity to respond to what she described as a changing and growing need among the country’s children and adolescents.
“Mental health is health,” Dujon said. “The mental health of our children is public health.” ( BA/PR)