5 June- The Mental Health and Substance Use Unit and the PAHO Trinidad and Tobago Office, represented by Dr. Taraleen Malcolm, PAHO Advisor on Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention and Control in Trinidad and Tobago, hosted a virtual seminar on COVID-19 and the school environment. 524 participants attended.
The seminar featured presentations by Dr. Claudina Cayetano, Regional Advisor on Mental Health on building mental health literacy in schools, and by Dr. Eldonna Boisson, PAHO Advisor on Disease Surveillance and Epidemiology in Trinidad and Tobago, who spoke on public health measures for consideration for school reopening. It has been months since schools closed in more than 190 countries as a safety measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These closures have affected an estimated 1.57 billion children and youth - 90% of the world’s student population. As the pandemic evolves, and schools consider reopening to various degrees, much uncertainty still exists for students, and decision makers must consider how school closures and their reopening can impact the mental wellbeing of students.
Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters by mid-20s. The impacts of poor mental health in adolescents are significant and far-reaching, and include poor academic performance, increases in risky health behaviors, and even premature death. In the Americas, rates of adolescent alcohol use and suicide remain high. Mental health literacy in schools is a promising intervention that can be taught to teachers and students in schools. It can benefit its recipients and the wider community by teaching them to identify mental health conditions and their treatments and to understand how to obtain and maintain good mental health. It can also contribute to reducing stigma and enhancing help-seeking.