THE Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) will be staging a two-day Wellness Village at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay to raise awareness about mental illnesses and ways in which individuals can promote good mental health.

The event is part of activities to mark Mental Health Week, which is being observed from October 9-17. It will be held from Monday October 10, which is being observed as World Mental Health Day to Tuesday October 11.

In an interview with JIS News, regional psychiatrist with the WRHA, Dr Lisabeth Crossman said that the Wellness Village, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm each day, will showcase “all things wellness”.

“We will be looking at your health in general — your physical health, your emotional health. We will be having workshops for the children, looking at how we can have them learn coping mechanisms, emotional intelligence and doing things with them that will generate interest in taking care of self,” she pointed out.

There will also be a nutrition village featuring demonstrations of healthy food preparation as well as exercise sessions to promote the importance of physical wellness and its impact on mental health.

Custos of St James, Bishop Conrad Pitkin will open the village and deliver the main address.

Mental Health Week, which is being observed under the theme ‘Mental Health and Wellness: It’s a Family Affair’, will be used to educate the public, raise awareness surrounding treatments, and help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

Activities kicked off with a church service on Sunday, October 9 at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Montego Bay.

Dr Crossman noted that the week will continue with a two-day virtual conference from Wednesday, October 12 to Thursday, October 13.

The event will feature notable speakers such as social anthropologist, Dr Herbert Gayle; consultant psychiatrist, Professor Wendel Abel; and campus director at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Western Jamaica Campus, Dr Patrick Prendergast.

Dr Crossman is encouraging members of the public to join the conference so as to increase their knowledge about issues surrounding mental health and help to reduce stigma and discrimination.

“…Everybody is [invited] to be a part of those [sessions], and those will be from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. To access it they can either go to our Instagram page @wrha_mental health week 2022, click the link and register. If you don’t have Instagram, we ask you to email us at psychiatrycrh@gmail.com and we will send the link,” she said.

Activities from October 14 to 17 will focus on promoting mental wellness among healthcare workers.

“We haven’t left out our staff because they have worked tirelessly, and we are going to focus on them for the rest of the week. We will… give them some educational training as well as wellness kits,” Dr Crossman informed.

Activities for Mental Health Week will be held throughout the health region which comprises St James, Trelawny, Hanover and Westmoreland.

Mental illness refers to any disorder that affects a person’s behaviour, mood or thinking and includes depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviours.

— JIS