It has been reported that a growing number of children are being admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital and that a new Childrens' Unit is in the works to facilitate this. Mental health and mental illness in Barbados can no longer be swept under the rug, and cannot be relegated--if I am using this word correctly--only to "parros" who have been on drugs.

Children are affected and therefore children need to be educated. Education needs to begin before those 16/18 and over can make a choice to study Psychology at the tertiary level. Primary and secondary school students need to be taught about Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Bipolar Disorder and the like. While Comprehensive Sexual Education is a "ticklish" debate (though I wholeheartedly support it), there should be no objection to the 9 year old boy knowing that the girl next to him had Social Anxiety Disorder, and therefore he should not tease her "cause she doan talk". If anything, having children be educated about mental health will most likely lessen bullying and taunting and lead to compassion and the development of less mental health issues from being in said situations. Children having bits of adult conversations floating into their ears about "mad people" and having no prior exposure to such issues is what continues the cycle of stigma.

I am 25 now, but I was the "quiet girl", the one who didn't talk and was awkward around others. I have GAD, but as a child I could possibly have met the criteria for social anxiety. But I had never heard of it, my parents had never heard of it, the other students had never heard of it, and I dare say my teachers weren't any more educated either. I am very passionate about this and I hope that this reaches the Minister of Education, Santia Bradshaw.

Submitted by mentalhealthmatters