The Hidden Pandemic
Mental health is a growing public health issue. In the Caribbean in particular, mental health is influenced by a range of socio-economic factors, cultural attitudes, and the availability of mental health services. Socio-economic factors, such as poverty and unemployment contribute significantly to stress, anxiety and depression while natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics can also lead to trauma, displacement, and long-lasting psychological effects.
Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), speaking at the media launch for the Health Research Conference stated “Mental health touches each and every one of us whether personally, through our loved ones or within our communities. It impacts how people relate to others, make decisions, and handle stress. People’s ability to live fulfilling lives often depends on their mental health. This makes protecting and restoring mental health of immediate concern to public health professionals with increasing impact, and especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
CARPHA, in collaboration with the Government of Barbados, through the Ministry of Health and Wellness will host the 69th Health Research Conference from 7- 9 May 2025. The three-day conference, which gives delegates a platform to network, share research and insights, will take place at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, Barbados.
The conference is the Caribbean Region’s foremost gathering of health research professionals. More than 200 participants will benefit from over 160 oral and poster presentations and concurrent sessions. During the close of the conference, health researchers will be awarded at for their outstanding contributions to public health in the Region.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Kenneth George, Chief Medical Officer of Barbados underscored the role of CARPHA in public health research. “CARPHA has been instrumental in supporting scientific and public health research for several decades. Through rigorous data analysis, research and dissemination of information, CARPHA continues to shape the health policy agenda not only within our region but on the international stage as well. In addition to the research agenda CARPHA is central to the provision of technical assistance to the 26 Member States of the region in the areas including surveillance, epidemiology, port health, vector control, non-communicable diseases, and reference laboratory services.”
Delivering his address on behalf of the Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Mr. the Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, Mr. Wayne Marshall Permanent Secretary stated “The Government of Barbados last hosted this prestigious Conference in 2013, and we are thrilled to once again bring together a diverse group of health professionals, researchers, and policymakers from across the region and the globe. This collaboration with CARPHA ensures that the 2025 Annual Health Research Conference and its pre-conference events, including meetings and training workshops, will be a platform for sharing groundbreaking research and clinical findings that can significantly influence public health policies.
Mr. Marshall expressed gratitude to CARPHA, sponsors, and all the participants who will make this Conference a resounding success. In closing he urged all to work together to elevate the discourse on mental health and other critical public health issues, fostering a healthier future for all.
The Conference will be attended by Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), researchers, physicians, nurses, psychologists, environmental health officers and other public health officials from across the Caribbean Region, Latin America, North America, and Europe.
Local, regional and international organisations and companies will be exhibiting and presenting their programmes, innovations, products and services.
Meetings and training workshops leading up to the conference include:
- Meeting of the CARICOM Chief Medical Officers
- Pandemic Fund and Antimicrobial Resistance forum for the CMOs and partners Monitoring and Evaluation Workshop
- Meetings of the Caribbean Vector Borne Disease Network, and
- Meeting of the Regional Health Communication Network
More information about the conference, and special rates for residents, students, including sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, can be found at http://conference.carpha.org/ and on social media at CARPHA1.
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One of the contributors to poor mental health, is the cost of leaving and bulling. We walk around and behave so mean to each other.. the true meaning of serenity is being serene in-spite of conflict, it’s a everyday stuggle leaving on earth with all these MEAN Obnoxious people, 1 cure is to be kinder, Albert Einstein quoted the world will be destroyed, not by those who do evil but by those who watch and do nothing, also Maya Angelou Wrote and Said “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.”Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. the desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.
To those who have given up on love, I say, Trust life a little bit. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. The question is not how to survive, but how to thrive with passion, compassion, humor and style.”
“When people show you who they are, believe them. Just like moons and like suns, with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still I’ll rise.”
“My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness.This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one ever before..
Mental Health is important to take of for sure. Unfortunately, human beings don’t really have a good grasp on how to do that for others so people probably don’t really trust all these professionals to have the right answer in every situation as they get things wrong sometimes. E.g. the appropriate response to gender dysphoria is to explain to kids and adults the DNA truth of who they really are and help them to learn to live in accordance with the biological sex NOT to cater to their delusions. The appropriate response to people stressed out over finances is to help them find a way out of their financial and related problems not to label them as mentally ill and medicate them. The appropriate response to people traumatized by bullying, abuse etc. at the hands of others is to help them see that they are not defined by what others did to them, they are still a special human being who has as much right to take up space in this world and create a wonderful future for themselves as anyone else. The other person was the bad guy in the situation not them. They do not need to be labelled as mentally ill and left to languish at an institution for life. The proper response to people on drugs is to offer help to get clean not to leave them deranged and dirty on the streets while calling them crazy. The proper response to the usual resilience of Caribbean people whose ancestors have been to hell and back because of slavery and it’s aftermath is to celebrate that can do spirit that kept us going through thick and thin, not to try to convince people that they are fragile and will fall apart because of every minor issue and so they need to obsess about mental health every minute and allow others to control their thinking for them. The best way to address mental health issues is to treat the underlying root causes of social problems by providing more social services to assist people with mundane difficulties in life and to make more of an effort to work together collaboratively in peace and harmony to create an amazing or at least basically functional society where people can recover quickly from setbacks. For those few persons whose health issues have gone extremely far then sure the medications and institutions and experts may be required temporarily to help get them back on track. But, for most people, just fix society and people will be just fine, no experts needed. Hard to trust the experts when they don’t really seem to be aware of the true answers…