12.1 The Integration of Child Mental Health Services Into Primary Child Health Care in Barbados

Abstract

The goal of this session is to review models of integrating child mental health services in primary health care in Barbados. Barbados is a densely populated Caribbean island where 27 percent of the 285,006 islanders are below the age of 20 years. Pediatric mental health services were traditionally provided in a clinic at the mental hospital, which was a deterrent for many families. The World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), introduced to the Caribbean region in 2015, trains primary care physicians (PCPs) to identify child mental health disorders and provide supportive therapy. In February 2016, to decrease stigma and increase access, youngsters were allowed to be treated in general mental health clinics in the primary health care centers (PHCCs). In June 2016, the Child Guidance Clinc was relocated in one of the central PHCCs.