Eureka Lab launches Psychodiagnostics and Family Therapy Centre

May 17, 2017 News

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– geared to help advance Guyana’s mental health gains

Guyana is now home to arguably the first Psychodiagnostics and Family Therapy Centre.
The institution is one that was brought into being by the Eureka Medical Laboratory [EML].
It was officially launched on Friday last by EML Chief Executive Officer Andrew Boyle, and his wife Dr. Karen Boyle. Dr. Boyle is also the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Public Health.
The EML Psychodiagnostics and Family Centre is a for-profit behavioural health Centre located in Thomas Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown, and was co-founded by the Boyles, Members of EML Board of Directors, Ren Gonzales, a Filipino psychologist who is the Human Resource Manager of EML, and Lisandro Hidalgo, also a psychology expert.
According to Andrew Boyle at the launch of the facility, “It is with great excitement and expectation that we launch these timely psychological services. We have worked tirelessly to convene a team of capable professionals. Our psychological services will be of a tremendously high standard and our clients can expect to be treated like royalty. Confidentiality, professionalism, courtesy and thoroughness are traits that will be guaranteed and adhered to.”
The Centre is one that is expected to offer a wide array of quality psychological health services to individuals, couples and families. The service population is slated to include people of all age ranges.
Specifically, services will include counselling, psychological testing, family diagnosis and therapy [couple and sexual therapy], family crisis intervention, women’s crisis intervention, psychotherapy, substance abuse programmes and contracted mental health services.
According to global statistics, approximately 15 to 20 percent of a population will suffer some form of mental illness. Moreover, the Guyana situation could translate to some 112,500 to 150,000 being likely to suffer from some form of depression. This state of affairs was amplified by Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, who graced the launching ceremony for the Centre.
According to the Minister, available data indicate that one out of every five children or adolescents will have a mental health issue.
“We all know that Guyana ranks high on the list of suicide deaths; that the incidence of domestic violence and abuse is high; that on the streets we witness people of unsound mind, not to mention those families with persons suffering from mental illness in our society who have attempted, through fear of stigma and discrimination, to hide family members from the glare of an unfriendly environment to escape the taunts and prejudices or have accessed treatment when the illness is at its worse, through fear or shame of being seen at a mental health facility,” Minister Lawrence underscored.
In fact she highlighted that the World Health Organization, out of the growing concern that globally more than 300 million persons were estimated to be living with depression and the possibility of this number escalating by 2030, sought to draw the world’s attention to this threat and issued a wake-up call to all countries to rethink their approaches to mental health, and to treat it with the urgency it deserved.
The World Body focused on the need for countries to intervene and arrest this cause of ill health and disability worldwide.
Guyana’s health sector has certainly not been taking this lightly.
But according to Minister Lawrence, she is heartened by the fact that her Ministry is not waging the war against ill health alone.
“Today is an exceptional day full of expectation and promise for the Government of Guyana, and in particular, the Ministry of Public Health, because of the wide array of quality psychological services that will be provided for individuals, couples and families at this behavioral Health Centre.
“I cannot contain my excitement nor find words to express my delight at this tremendous initiative of Eureka’s which I anticipate will help to boost the Mental Health Department in its attempt to respond to the myriad of prevailing mental health issues and to promote mental health for every child and adult in Guyana,” said Minister Lawrence.
The Minister however noted that like any new initiative, the familiarization process is expected to take a while.
She is nevertheless optimistic that the Centre will be able to forge partnerships with Non-Governmental Organisations, the Childcare and Protection Agency and other relevant Agencies, and through this collaborative and consultative effort, the services of the Centre will be accessed.
“The Centre succinctly posits that peace of mind is achievable for every member of the family and I want to endorse this, that with such quality psychological care available at this Centre, Guyana will soon boast of improvement in our mental health status,” said Minister Lawrence.
With the Centre helping to advance the gains of the health sector, the Minister noted, “I am sure that like me, you look forward to the moment when we can move down the line in the suicide ranking.”

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