STUDENTS and teachers at Tarrant Primary School in Kingston are now better able to identify individuals who might have mental health challenges.

The foundation was laid last Thursday when the Dynamic Mental Health School Marathon Series made a stop at the institution.

It was no surprise that lifestyle and transformation coach Patrice White of The Dynamic Lifestyle, who attended the institution and is the driving force behind the marathon series, selected the institution as the first primary school to benefit from the awareness campaign.

Even though White only attended the school for one year, she said the institution changed her life.

White, who was a product of teenage pregnancy, said she lived in almost every inner-city community in the Corporate Area.

“…Mi did bad ennuh; mi nah hide and talk, mi did bad,” White shared. “A lot of times when kids give trouble at school it’s because of what’s happening at home. You understand what I’m saying? It’s just a matter of sitting down with them to find out what’s really going on, and that’s why I decided that I must bring the tour here to Tarrant,” she said.

White, who suffers from depression, told the Jamaica Observer that throughout the years she was focused on her career, not paying much attention to her mental health.

“On the 21st of October (2018), I wanted my life to end,” White shared. “And if you look on my social media page, you see me travelling and you might be saying, ‘Oh my God, she has everything together’. But mentally, I allowed my disease to come back and take over my life,” she told Your Health Your Wealth after the session.

Her thoughts were thwarted by her best friend and teenage daughter.

She said, too, that after having those suicidal thoughts, friends would call and check on her daily to ensure she was doing okay.

A number of the students who participated in last Thursday’s activities indicated, by a show of hands, that they now understand what mental health is.

Psychologist Jhanille Brooks, during her presentation, urged the students to speak with an adult whenever they become sad over an extended period.

Guidance counsellor Estella Bradshaw said: “We have challenges at our school where mental health is concerned. We have some students who are indiscipline… From observation and assessment we know it has to do with seeking attention, sometimes trauma in their lives, families’ migration, death, parents’ break-up, among other things. When you interview them you will hear all the things that are hurting them, and we can associate that with why they behave a certain way at school.”

Noting that the school provides counselling sessions, she said there are times when they have to seek external help. At the same time, Bradshaw said some of the parents are not receptive when children are diagnosed.

Principal Thelma Porter corroborated this.

“We do have children that present challenges to us and we are up to our head with trying to find the solution. I remember one particular initiative I came up with was to have parents come in just once a week, because when the child realises that daddy or mommy is coming to see my behaviour, to see how I’m doing academically, we figured that that will help and put a check on the behaviour. But, sad to say that the parents haven’t given that type of support in terms of being consistent,” Porter said.

Lauding the initiative, the principal said the marathon series has laid the groundwork.

“They have left us to, as a group, come up with other strategies, other ways and means of assisting the children — because we do have them. And I dare say that some of the parents are not helping, but we have come to the conclusion that some of these parents also need the help.

“We find that, as a result of talking to some of those parents, that they are the ones who really need the help. We are calling out to them to assist us and we realised that they can’t assist us,” she added.

Besides the Jamaica Observer, Dynamic Mental Health School Marathon Series has several other partners, including Best Dressed Chicken, David Annakie, Sunshine Snacks, Main Event, iprint, Lifespan Spring Water, Providential Services, Hybrid Media and Concepts, Tiffany Makayla is awesome Photography, and Sleek Jamaica. The key partners of the series are: Victoria Mutual Group and Brunswick Jamaica.