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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2019
HEALTH ANDWELLNESS
Mental Health
“Does anyone ever have to argue
that bowel cancer or
lupus are legitimate conditions? Yet this is what people with
mental health issues face every day,” said Professor Terence
Seemungal, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS)
at UWI St Augustine.
He was speaking at the Trinidad and Tobago Medical
Association’s (T&TMA’s) 24
th
Annual Medical Research
Conference. Held on December 2 2018 at the UWI Inn
and Conference Centre, the theme of this year’s conference
was “Mental Health – Let’s Talk”. Participants included
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, former President of
the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Mr Justice Anthony
Thomas Aquinas Carmona, SC ORTT, PAHO WHO
Country Representative Dr Erica Wheeler, and Professor
of Psychiatry at UWI Professor Gerard Hutchinson, among
other medical professionals and researchers.
The conference focused on mental health research,
explained 2018 T&TMA President Chandra Saroop, “We
need to encourage research to provide evidence and drive
policy and legislation”.
UWI Today is pleased to provide excerpts from
Professor Seemungal’s speech at the Annual Medical
Research Conference:
“Whatever the cause or themechanism, mental diseases
are an epidemic with a lifetime probability of about 50%
in some countries. Some of the best data on mental health
disorders can be found from the USA, which shows that the
prevalence of mental health disorders has risen from three
(persons) per hundred thousand in 1968 to about 40 per
hundred thousand in 2010.
“Does anyone ever have to argue that bowel cancer or
lupus are legitimate conditions? Yet this is what people with
mental health issues face every day. This has led to social
stigma associated with mental diseases. These illnesses can
be so debilitating that sufferers can be confined to their
homes when severe. The symptoms of these illnesses are
very real to sufferers.
“Mental illness sufferers have to endure their symptoms
and the scepticism of those around themwhich makes it so
much worse for them.
“UWI has gone a long way to helping the society cope
with mental illness. Since 1969 we have been training
medical students in Trinidad and Tobago. In 1976, when
the final two years of training were started in Trinidad,
psychiatry training started here as well, and around 1990
Prof. (Michael) Beaubrun started the professional training
programme which we call the Doctorate in Psychiatry,
designed to produce a specialist in psychiatry.
“One of the major components of the programme is a
year of research in psychiatry. Youmay recall that one of the
major reasons for starting a medical school here in Trinidad
was to foster a culture of medical research in Trinidad and
Tobago so the people of Trinidad and Tobago will benefit
health-wise from medical education here. This is the area
we want to improve.
“Between the 1970s and now, UWI has published about
468 papers in mental health as listed on PubMed and about
370 on behavioural sciences. What are we doing about
ensuring that these papers are adopted as part of public
health policy? Well we have recently formed the Caribbean
Centre for Health Systems Research and Development
whose major remit is to do research into public health
policy which will have a major emphasis on knowledge
translation activities to policymakers and beneficiaries (i.e.
the community).
“Finally, I want to mention one issue close to home.
Medical students have higher rates of depression, suicidal
ideation and burnout than the general population and
PROFESSOR
SEEMUNGAL:
Support,
not scepticism,
for those
withmental
illness
Professor Terence Seemungal
PHOTO: ANEEL KARIM
greater concerns about the stigma of mental illness. In
2010, Schwenck et al reported that about 50% of medical
students experience burnout and 10% report suicidal
ideation during medical school worldwide. Non-random
estimates of depression amongst medical students at the St
Augustine Campus vary from 30% to 40% and are higher
in certain subsets.
“The Faculty of Medical Sciences took the position
last year that the time has come to move beyond simply
measuringmental illness inmedical students and has moved
to create practical approaches to implementing school-based
solutions. So, for example, last year we started an academic
advising programme that was so well received it has been
incorporated throughout the Campus.This year we started a
programme of psychological support services to expand that
already offered by the Campus but focused on FMS students.
“I will put one challenge to our psychiatrists. Studies
worldwide have shown that there is a rise in mental health
conditions since 1900. I will put this in the context of the
NCD (non-communicable disease) epidemic –we know that
if we focus on diet and exercise (and we have two ministries
focused on these – Agriculture and Sport) we can decrease
the burden of NCDs.
“But what of mental health problems? What can we do
to prevent mental health problems, what are the preventive
tips for good mental health? Can we prevent mental ill-
health? It is well advertised that a diet low in salt can help
to control HTN (hypertension) … but no one says what we
can do to control mental health problems. Is it because we
do not really believe that mental problems are worthy? Let’s
talk prevention as well.”
Professor Seemungal’s entire speech is available at
/
“Mental illness sufferers have to endure their symptoms and the scepticism
of those around them which makes it so much worse for them.
