As a student, Julius Bacchus once contemplated suicide, however, with the assistance from peers and villagers, he overcame his depression. According to the Department of Public Information (DPI) from being a troubled youth, Bacchus is now the President of Golden Grove Young Achievers Youth Group (GGYAYG).
“In my village, there are a lot of youth who hang around smoking, and go through a lot of episodes, so with this knowledge I take today, I can help them, to be better and to change their ways”, he said, according to DPI.
Bacchus spoke about his close brush with suicide on Saturday when the Department of Social Cohesion’s Culture, Youth and Sport, and Region Four’s Regional Democratic Council (RDC) hosted its first Mental Health session for young people.
DPI said that the event was held at the Plaisance Secondary School under the theme, “Universal Health Care: Everyone, Everywhere.”
Social Worker attached to the department, Gillian Frank said “we are raising awareness on youth and health because that is one of our thematic areas at the ministry, and with this activity, we can meet a lot of young people, to raise awareness about youth and mental health”.
Sharing her views, Kimberly Kingston said she is now better equipped to detect the symptoms of mental illness and can render assistance where the need arises. Kingston plans to set up a focus group so that affected persons can join and receive treatment to cope with their mental health disorders.
This session will be the first of four quarterly events.
