The Department of Health’s Division of Mental Health, Alcoholism and Drug Dependency Services will hold an open house on Tuesday, May 3, territory-wide as part of activities to commemorate Mental Health Month, celebrated each May, according to a press release issued on May 2 by the Virgin Islands Department of Health.
Acting Health Commissioner Fern P. Clarke encourages residents to participate in events scheduled throughout the month to raise awareness on mental health issues. This year’s theme is “Live Well! It’s Essential for Your Potential.”
The activities, which include lectures on conflict resolution and cyber-bullying, kicks off with the open house at the Mental Health Building at Charles Harwood Medical Complex on St. Croix and at Barbel Plaza on St. Thomas. Tuesday is also observed as National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, which highlights the importance of caring for every child’s mental health.
Doris Farrington-Hepburn, director of the Division of Mental Health, Alcoholism and Drug Dependency Services, is encouraging parents with children who have been subjected to bullying to attend the lecture series on bullying or have them take part in open-house segments planned just for children.
Hepburn, hired last June, also urges residents who may feel overwhelmed, depressed, phobic or unusually symptomatic to seek professional care if they need to.
“People should know that there is nothing wrong in needing to talk things out with an expert once in a while,” she said. “We are doing great things at the Department of Health to prioritize mental health issues in the territory.”
Governor John P. deJongh Jr. has proclaimed May as Mental Health Month in the U.S. Virgin Islands, noting that one in five American adults and children are affected by a mental illness and that the different disorders collectively make mental illness the most prevalent health problem in America today, more common than cancer, lung and heart disease combined.
A majority of the people who overcome the fear, discrimination and misunderstanding of mental disorders and who seek professional help find relief following treatment, de Jongh said in his proclamation.
Hepburn will lead discussions on services that DOH has to offer, including efforts to de-stigmatize seeking treatment for mental health diseases.
“We hope to emphasize the cost to the individual, families and to the community as a whole, when persons do not seek help that they need,” she said.
St. Croix District
Tuesday, May 3
· 9 a.m. to noon – Open House (Adults). Mental Health Building; Charles Harwood Medical Building.
· 3-4:30 p.m. – Open House (Children). Mental Health Building
Tuesday, May 10
· 3-4:30 p.m. Workshop. Healthy Relationships. CHC, First Floor, Room 1016
Tuesday, May 17
· 3:30-4:30 p.m. Workshop. Youth Time Management. Mental Health Building, Charles Harwood Medical Complex
St. Thomas-St. John District
Tuesday, May 3
· 9 a.m. to noon – Open House. Barbel Plaza Office (Adults)
· 1-3 p.m. – Open House. Barbel Plaza Office (Children)
Tuesday, May 10
· 3-4:30 p.m. Workshop. Healthy Relationships. Barbel Plaza
Tuesday, May 17
· 3:30-4:30 p.m. Workshop. Youth Time Management. Barbel Plaza
Tuesday, May 24
· 3-4:30 p.m. Workshop. Time Management. Barbel Plaza
Tuesday, Mary 31
· 3-4:30 p.m. – Workshop. Coping with Bullying. Barbel Plaza
