Admitting patients into secure facilities such as St Giles Hospital should be a last resort.
These were the sentiments of Fiji National University Vice Chancellor Professor Nigel Healey during the World Mental Health Day celebrations at Pacifika Campus in Suva today.
He says 1 in 4 people suffer from some form of mental health issues during their lifetime and almost none of those will need to be admitted into a secure facility.
Healey says part of the solution is raising awareness of the resources that is available and that there are trained professionals who can help.
He further stated that removing the stigma that is associated with mental health problems is also a major part of the solution.
Professor Healey highlighted that even though a lot of people are aware that these services are available, they are still hesitant to seek help because of the stigma.
He says FNU’s main contribution towards this cause is training the next generation of psychiatrists and psychologists to work with patients and to provide them with the support as well as creating awareness on such issues.
When asked by Fijivillage on whether Fiji has the proper facilities or needs more hospitals to offer such services, Professor Healey says in many countries the number of such facilities is actually declining.
Professor Healey further elaborated that this is because more care is being provided in communities.
