Substance misuse prevention programme targets youths

The Mental Health Unit (MHU) will launch a substance prevention programme, aimed at reducing the abuse and misuse of drugs, during the Ministry of Health’s inaugural four-day Expo starting Wednesday, May 30.

According to research done by the MHU, the school-aged population and other youths are likely to abuse and misuse addictive substances. MHU’s Health Education Officer Tashia James said this programme was conceptualised to raise awareness about the harmful effects of substance misuse among this target group.

Specifically, the focus of the programme is on the physical and mental health challenges resulting from overuse and misuse of alcohol.

“We have found that alcohol misuse is quite prevalent in Guyana and as such the mental health unit has chosen to launch this campaign at the Health expo since the over-arching theme for this event is Reaching for a better life with good health,” James said

James also stated that total health starts with mental health hence this initiative. She is encouraging persons to visit the mental health booths at the Health Expo, to obtain information on the services available.

The Health Education Officer said information on this and other public health awareness programmes will be shared via giant-sized adverts and on-site interactive workshops over the four-day period.

Source:http://dpi.gov.gy