Clinical traumatologist: Mental health care still limited

Black Immigrant Daily News

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Hanif Benjamin in an interview at the Centre for Human Development, Tunapuna. – File photo/Angelo Marcelle

There are basic signs that people can look out for when dealing with mental illnesses, clinical traumatologist and clinical therapist Hanif Benjamin said on Saturday, adding access to mental health is still limited in this country.

“Sometimes people look for big signs. But we are not paying attention to the simplicity of issues and signs. For example, the change in how people dress or if they are no longer taking care of themselves.”

Benjamin was responding to the death of seven-year-old Mckenzie Hope Rechier who was found strangled in a shack in Palo Seco. A female relative, 25, is in custody.

He said other signs could be people are no longer interested in things they once loved or no longer want to go out or be involved in anything, whether at work, at home, or in their personal lives. Benjamin, founder of The Centre for Human Development, said when people are not their “normal selves,” chances are something may be going on and require some level of interrogation.

“Sometimes it might be changes to their sleeping and eating patterns. Some sleep too much or too little or have a restless sleep. Some people eat too much or too little. They might eat feel-good food like ice cream, cake or whatever they consider comfort food and not understanding that that is a response to something that is going on within them that they are not paying attention to.”

The former head of the Children’s Authority said people are often not aware when their mental state changes.

Benjamin said, “Chances are there would be a physiological change. Unfortunately, the physiological change is the end result. We need to teach people to pay attention to when the change in emotion has changed — when people move from happy to sad.”

“I am not saying that people must always be happy because that is also a problem. When a person is in a period of prolonged sadness where doing basic, natural things have become a chore, we need to pay attention to that.”

He said society must normalise mental health and mental health treatment. He added that many people with mental health issues do not get help.

He said people view them as problems instead of dealing with the illness.

“We validate a physical illness but do not validate mental health because we do not see it. We associate mental health with lazy people, people who just have to get up and walk. Once we move away from those stigmas, we realise that more and more people are going to get help.

“Most times, people have access only when they are in a crisis. But there are limited public options for a person who is genuinely having a challenge and wants to work through things.”

Benjamin referred to statistics from the World Health Organization saying four in five people would live with depression at some point in their lives.

“In the Caribbean, we are battling mental health stigma. So a lot of people do not come forward and say they are living with this or feeling this way for fear of being ridiculed, segregated and separated.

“We need to make it so that people feel comfortable enough to say that there has been a change in our mental state, a change in our emotion. The workplace must be comfortable enough that staff can bring a sick that says depression, anxiety, stress, etc.”

He again called for a full mental health clinic at every health centre in TT to help remove stigmas.

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