The Gibraltar Mental Welfare Society has said that two recent events have kept mental health concerns in the public eye.

A spokesperson for the society said:

“In the last week or so, there have been two significant events which have once again highlighted the importance of mental health in our community. The first was an interview on Viewpoint on the 10th March, by a grieving mother who has had an abysmal experience of the mental health system in Gibraltar. In this interview the mother explained how she was let down over and over again by those she was seeking help from. Over a number of months, appointments were cancelled, professionals failed to deliver, and lack of coordination and communication was evident.  It was an experience of the system at its worst.

“The second event was a presentation organised by Gibsams on the 15th March which focussed on suicide, and what can be done to prevent this. The message was about the need to destigmatise mental health, and to engage with these issues in an honest, non-judgemental way.  After the talk, a gentleman in the audience expressed his anger at the dire failings of the local mental health provision. As with Veenu Advani in Viewpoint, he felt completely let down by the system.

“The fact that in a matter of 5 days we have had people witnessing publicly to mental health matters, on two occasions, is a sign that we are moving forward on this subject. This is very good news. We must continue to grow in this sphere, as individuals and as a community. But equally importantly, the mental health system must also work to become the strong, dependable network which the service users require but which is still far from being in place.

“Although the GMWS wants to believe that not all service users have an equally negative experience, it  knows that similar occurrences are all too common. A service user recently told us that in the space of two years, they have had an appointment with five psychiatrists and are now waiting to see a sixth. This is clear evidence of the lack of continuity of care which exists in the system and which is unacceptable.

“Only today we received a message from a mother whose 16 year old daughter first came into the system in January 2021 ; she was put on medication by a psychiatrist and has not been seen since June 2021. Nobody answers her emails and she is exhausted at the constant struggle involved in trying- and failing- to get some support for her daughter.

“The Society is aware that there is an ongoing shake up taking place in the system and is grateful for this.  We believe that the New Mental Health Strategy will involve much more in the sphere of preventative care, which should significantly reduce the number of people who get to crisis point. The Society considers it crucial to keep this subject in the public eye because we need to see the changes having a direct positive impact on people's lives, and not just hear from the GHA about the improvements which are taking place.”