October 23, 2013

Dear Sir,

We understand the concerns shared by Ms X in an October 14 article in The Royal Gazette concerning mental illness. We’d like to assure Ms X and others dealing with mental health challenges that services are available here in Bermuda and people have care and treatment options.

Mental illness affects approximately one in six people some time during their lifetime. The vast majority of people who receive psychiatric care do so within a community setting, rather than in an institution. Most of the services provided by staff from the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute involve outreach to the community.

People with mental illness are valuable members of society and should not be ‘locked up and thrown away’. The old days of managing care for the mentally ill ‘behind the walls’ of St Brendan’s has shifted to the Recovery Model. We now provide care in partnership with each individual service user and we work as a team to assist people in their own recovery journey. This collaboration is key and has replaced the former care model when mental health professionals decided on a treatment plan without involvement from the individual. Everyone’s recovery journey is different and what recovery looks like for each individual is different, with the ultimate aim of living a life beyond illness.

We offer a 24-hour helpline (236-3770) and an Acute Community Mental Health clinic, where anyone in need can access care. People experiencing an acute mental health episode may also seek care at the Emergency Department at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. Many mental illnesses are treatable through talk therapy, medication or a combination of both. Help exists and no one needs to suffer alone or in silence.

DR ANNA NEILON-WILLIAMS

Deputy Chief of Psychiatry

Bermuda Hospitals Board