PROMINENT forensic psychiatric expert, consultant psychiatrist Dr Myo Kyaw Oo, has pleaded with individuals who are in mental distress to seek help, while stressing, “early intervention is best; medication should be the last step”.

Speaking during a recent mental health symposium hosted by the St Mary Parish Court, Dr Oo said warning signs such as a change in behaviour where people become either withdrawn or hyperactive, emotional, confrontational, argumentative or antagonistic, should not be ignored.

“Lack of focus, failing memory, lack of self-confidence, frequent changing of jobs, late arrival…if you have these signs now, these are warning signs and it’s better to check it out,” the respected professional said.

He said early screening and assessments must be done, and if a person gets early counselling, medication may not be needed.

According to Dr Oo, once medication is introduced, patients might find themselves receiving multiple repeat treatments.

“So, therefore, the early intervention is best. Medication should be the last step. Why? Because one episode of clinical anxiety, we recommend that you should take medication up to six months, that’s why I’m saying now early intervention is better,” he pointed out.

Explaining further, he said after one episode of psychosis, follow-ups must be done for up to five years, “because we want to prevent the relapse and the first time if you don’t treat it properly, the second relapse is going to be worse than the first. A third is going to be worse than the first time,” he said.

“So second time, third time, fourth time is going to be larger amount [of medication] and more duration [longer treatment]. So to avoid that, early intervention is best. So recognition and awareness of these symptoms are very important,” he stressed.

He, in the meantime, acknowledged that the struggles experienced by Jamaicans when seeking help to improve their mental health are complicated further by issues such as stigma and cultural practices.

“You don’t want somebody else to know, because the outside world sees that you are a strong woman or you are a strong man. So you feel ashamed, your self-image becomes a matter now, you don’t want to damage your self-image. Part of the thing also is stigma. How many of you want to mention that in the public or on
Tik Tok, or other social media that ‘I am Dr Oo’s patient and I’m taking medication from Dr Oo for my illness’? I bet you are proudly saying that ‘my cardiologist is Dr Eddie Chong or my kidney specialist is so and so’ but nobody would like to say my doctor is Dr Oo,” he said.

In the meantime, he said the tendency by some Jamaicans to believe that witchcraft is the reason for their mental ill-health, also affects how help is sought.

“In our culture you know the Obeah, Obeah oil and candle light and so on… every culture has their own way of dealing with mental illness. You go to St Thomas, or you get Obeah oil. There are people who bring in Obeah oil to Bellevue Hospital [psychiatric facility],” Dr Oo said.

According to him, even patients at the facility who are being given medication still maintain a regimen using potions.

“They have powders spraying around, sprinkling around to get rid of this evil spirit,” Dr Oo said.