A child psychiatrist who has joined a local wellness centre emphasised that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” for addressing youth mental health challenges that are on the rise globally.

Brittnie Fowler, who grew up in Bermuda and is based between the United States and the island, was appointed as consultant psychiatrist at Solstice in a role the organisation said would strengthen child and youth mental healthcare.

Dr Fowler is a Solstice board and Bermuda-certified psychiatrist who specialises in infant, child and adolescent, and adult mental health.

Her work reflects a strong emphasis on how early childhood experiences shape lifelong outcomes and the importance of early intervention services.

She said that an increase in mental health diagnoses internationally had led to a major shortage of psychiatrists and prevention would be key in meeting growing demands.

The World Health Organisation reported last year that globally, one in seven 10 to 19-year-olds experienced a mental disorder — anxiety and depression being among the most common.

Dr Fowler told The Royal Gazette: “Now we are having increasing mental health needs, [the sector] is overwhelmed — we need more people working in mental health.

“How we experience the world starts very early on and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

“We need to question how we go back to supporting families and making sure that families of 0 to 5-year-olds have what they need for a child to grow in a socially-emotionally supportive household.

“We have to get frontline carers — preschool, kinder and elementary teachers need to be more supported for trauma-informed care or referring out at an earlier stage.

“It’s about working with organisations, churches and schools to help do the early work. That will take some time. We have systems that are overwhelmed.”

The Bermuda Union of Teachers said last week that schools were inadequately resourced to cope with students who faced greater mental health challenges than ever. The Ministry of Education insisted it was taking informed action to improve services.

Dr Fowler completed her medical training in the US at Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia, and advanced fellowship training in child and infant psychiatry at Tulane University in New Orleans.

She said her experience as a watch leader on the Spirit of Bermuda in 2011 was a factor that influenced her career path.

“That was one of the first experiences that helped me realise that young people in Bermuda were suffering a lot,” she noted.

She is a proponent of integrative care and believes the most effective outcomes stem from connecting psychiatry and primary care to support the whole person.

Dr Fowler said her career in psychiatry was also influenced by poor, under-resourced care she had seen administered in other jurisdictions, which favoured “one-size-fits-all” methods over treatment and care specific to the individual.

“It goes back to the idea of knowing the person in front of you and tailoring the treatment they need,” she said.

In her role at Solstice, she will initially provide care through telehealth, ensuring consistent access to specialist psychiatric support, while dividing her professional time between Bermuda and the US.

She will return regularly to the island to provide in-person consultations.

Dr Fowler’s clinical work focuses on comprehensive psychiatric assessments and medication management, with expertise in supporting infants and young children, school-aged youth managing conditions such as ADHD, anxiety and mood disorders, and young adults navigating transitional life stages.

Her experience includes work within school settings, the juvenile justice system and consultation with medical professionals and governing bodies.

Dr Fowler added: “It’s not just the youth in Bermuda who are suffering.

“There has been a large shift since the pandemic and a lot of challenges that families have had to navigate.

“Through Covid, we switched online, we had fears of getting sick or getting other people sick.

“Young kids have important milestones that make such a big difference because our brain is primed to have certain experiences at different stages in our lives.

“During Covid, children were supposed to be socialising and trying to learn social-emotional skills.

“Globally, we are still trying to transition back into regular life.

“Also, social media has started to shape our world. We have a lot of influences that can make us feel less-than. We question ourselves.

“People post the best of themselves and we look at their lives and think, what is wrong with me? Why am I different? Am I missing out?

“There has also been a shift where people are talking more about mental health.”

Dr Fowler said she was excited to return to Bermuda, which feels like home, and to support children, young people and families on the island.

“My work is grounded in early intervention and understanding development across the life span,” she said.

“I’m passionate about collaborative care, working alongside families, schools and healthcare providers to ensure support is connected and meaningful.

“Joining Solstice, with its breadth of expertise and shared commitment to whole-person care, is incredibly special.”

Kelly Madeiros, a cofounder and managing director of Solstice, said: “There is a global shortage of psychiatrists and finding someone with Dr Fowler’s experience and connection to Bermuda is incredibly meaningful.”

Eloise Pitts Crick, a cofounder and the executive director of Solstice, said the hiring of Dr Fowler strengthened the centre’s neurodiversity assessment and intervention programme.

She explained that the appointment meant the service could offer medication support alongside its multidisciplinary interventions and assessment processes within the Solstice Growing Minds Centre, tailored to young clients.

Dr Pitts Crick added: “Expanding access to specialist psychiatric care will help reduce pressure on the public health system while improving the timeliness and accessibility of care for young people in Bermuda.”

• For more information about Solstice, visitwww.solstice.bm