Substance abuse to be addressed with new Mental Health Bill

The new Mental Health Bill 2022, currently before a Special Select Committee in Parliament, will cater for persons struggling with substance abuse, to ensure they receive the necessary support to return to normalcy, according to Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony.

Minister Anthony explained that substance abuse is classified under the mental health act, and can have seriously impact on family members, hence there is a need for open conversations on this issue to find possible solutions.

“If people want to de-escalate from being an addict to getting back to normalcy, they would often need help, they would need counselling, they would need support during this period, and we need to build that system,” he said.

The minister disclosed that with regards to alcohol abuse, he stressed that consuming the substance is socially acceptable, and as such persons might not realise when they become addicts. Dr. Anthony pointed out that it is important to educate persons on the detrimental effects that alcohol abuse have on a person’s health, and their social circle.

As such, similarity, in terms of illicit substances, whether it’s marijuana or cocaine or other substances, the minister stressed that government is working to have clinics that will offer the support needed.

“What we are proposing, what we’re thinking about is to be able to develop, whether publicly or in partnership with private sector entities or NGOs, to be able to expand our capacity to offer institutional support to these persons with addiction problems,” Dr. Anthony said.

The health minister revealed that currently, Phoenix Recovery and the Salvation Army deal with the rehabilitation of persons with addiction.

He however disclosed that they face many challenges in terms of the number of persons that can be admitted at any one given time, and the capacity to treat the patients.

Dr. Anthony added that with the right clinical and medical care, more persons can be returned to normalcy.