Hindus get training on psychological and mental health first aid

Regional Manager Psychiatric/Mental Health Services of the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) Pooran Sankar yesterday said the session was geared at reaching out to different groups in the society to deal with the issue.

Psychological first aid (PFA) covers both psychological and social support and the training was held at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital at Chancery Lane. It comprised mainly of pundits. Previous training sessions catered for Christian and Muslim leaders from the SWRHA district as well as teachers and students of secondary schools in San Fernando.

“People tend to gravitate to their respective religious leaders with whatever problems they have. We are trying to extent this to all the groups and people who have influence in terms of guiding their congregations,” Sankar told Newsday.

SWRHA district spans from Couva to Moruga to Icacos.

According to the World Health Organisation, one in four people worldwide will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. WHO further states that about 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide.

Yesterday, Sankar added that within the SWRHA region, there are over 10,000 persons registered in clinics (psychiatric).

“Last year there were 240 new cases. On average 1,200 persons access the services yearly