Young persons, aged 16 to 24, have been provided with another safe space to talk about their challenges and concerns, with the launch of U-Matter, a new mental health support chatline catering to this cohort.
The chatline was developed at a cost of $12 million by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Caribbean Child Development Centre (CCDC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus.
It was officially launched during a ceremony at the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Emergency Operations Centre in New Kingston recently.
Through one-on-one messaging, U-Matter connects youngsters to trained counsellors who can give them support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, free of charge.
The chatline is anonymous and whatever is discussed will be held confidential.
To access the service, youngsters can text “support” to (876) 838-4897 on WhatsApp and SMS (free for Flow customers); or message @ureportjamaica on Facebook Messenger.
Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton said the chatline is a timely and appropriate intervention, particularly given the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on young people’s mental wellness.
“I think it places very sharply into context the challenges of our times, for all sorts of reasons, COVID being a real visible, tangible manifestation of what those challenges are as it relates to mental health,” he said.
He noted that many young people have had to deal with the many side effects of the pandemic, including anxiety and the loneliness of being confined to online learning with no psychosocial support, interaction with friends, with teachers; and some have lost their loved ones.
These factors, he said, have contributed to the rise in mental health disorders among the youth.
Citing the 2018 World Mental Health Day Report, Dr Tufton noted that one in five young people suffer from a mental illness, and that, globally, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds.
IMAGE ( Photo credit: istock)
