Dr. Ganesh Shetty - Gleaner file photo
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Dr. Ganesh Shetty
By Shannick Dawkins
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Ganesh Shetty is calling for a holistic approach in responding to the mental health needs of Jamaican children.
His call follows the alleged suicide of nine-year-old Tyreek Bennett in Central Village, St. Catherine on Friday.
Dr. Shetty lamented that not enough attention is being paid to mental health issues affecting children and they continue to suffer in silence.
He admitted that underfunding of child health and mental health services is universal and it is difficult to find trained professionals to provide adequate therapy and treatment for the 40,000 acutely ill children and 120,000 mentally ill children.
But Dr. Shetty asserted that "we need to make it everybody's responsibility to do whatever they can to help them in whatever ways, safely and effectively".
He called for investment in public education, training and support groups for these children as well as their families - many of whom, he said, are also struggling.
Dr. Shetty was a guest Monday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.
A report by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute, released nearly two years ago, found that only eight per cent of children suffering from mental health issues in Jamaica are receiving treatment.
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