The Richmond Foundation, an organisation which provides mental health care services, has today launched a campaign with the slogan ‘Let’s find your way forward’ to raise awareness about mental health on the occasion of their 25th anniversary. The organisation has also undergone a rebranding exercise.
The Richmond Foundation had launched 25 years ago through the Villa Chelsea rehabilitation project. Richmond Foundation CEO Stephania Dimech Sant said that today, the foundation offers 11 services and works with over 2,000 people a year, 130 of whom make use of their residential services, with the rest receiving psychological support and training
The Richmond Foundation has launched a helpline Freephone 1770, where those calling will find people ready to listen and help people suffering from mental health issues take the next step forward.
Mental health problems affect people in their day to day lives, she said, while also affecting the way that the person treats their family, and their work performance.
Dimech Sant said that in developed countries, one in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. “This number is expected to rise to one in three. This means that there are around 150,000 people who already have or will be affected.” She said that in every family of four, there is a chance that one will face such mental health problems.
“In Malta, 6.8% of the population reported passing through chronic depression (32,000 people). Around 7% of mothers pass through chronic depression after having their first child,” Dimech Sant added.
From all those who develop a mental health illness throughout their life, 75% show symptoms before the age of 25, she added.
Describing their services, the foundation, Dimech Sant (above) said that generally, the Villa Chelsea rehabilitation project is their first point of contact with people. This project helps provide the necessary skills to people suffering with mental health issues to again take care of themselves, to live with their condition. This project works around the concept of community therapy. After their programme ends, a number of people would be without a home and need support to continue living in the community. In order to cater for this, the foundation has a number of assisted living properties. For around 100 residents who live in their apartments and homes, those are their permanent residence, Dimech Sant said, and the foundation helps take care of their condition in order for them to have a good quality of life in the community.
She said that there are support services for the homes operated by Richmond as well as those living in their own homes. The above projects are mainly financed by government.
In order to address the lack of information, the foundation organises a number of courses, one of which is called mental health first aid, where thus far 2,000 people were trained. A mental health first aid course for youth pilot project has also launched. The foundation also offers an Employee Assistance Programme to 70 companies who employ 20,000 people.
The Foundation also runs a project called KIDs. This is a residential project for children who are showing signs of problems, where they learn about their condition and how to handle it while expressing their emotions more positively. The foundation notes that there are very few mental health services for youths.
On its 25th anniversary, the Richmond Foundation was given a gift, a new look by the company BRND WGN, and through this Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, the Foundation is launching a national campaign about mental health. The main aim, the foundation said, is to appeal to youths to seek help if in need. “Around 17% of adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17, and 13% of youths aged 18-24 at some point harmed themselves (non-suicidal self-injury), while 50% of all those who develop eating disorders show their first symptoms before the age of18.”
“We appeal to them and to their families, let us help you find a way to move forward. Stop for 10 minutes and contact us so that together we can plan the next step forward.”
Chairman of the Richmond Foundation Anthony Guillaumier said that the organisation has, over the past 25 years, worked hard and today has arrived at a point where the organisation is now a main entity in the mental health care sector on the island.
The foundation also appealed to anyone wishing to contribute to society in this sector, by volunteering, and by through financial support, to contact them.
President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca closed off the event, and spoke about the history of the foundation, thanking the chairman for his vision. She praised the achievements of the organisation. “We’ve come a long way from Villa Chelsea,” she said, adding that in the mid-nineties there was an issue when this property was being given to the foundation, highlighting the stigma against mental health that used to exist at the time, and how things have changed and nowadays it is not as strong. “While mental health is being given a lot of visibility, the stigma is still with us. It is not as strong as it was back then, but it is still there. There are still people who do not come forward to receive help.
The President also spoke about the suicide rates, adding that 88% of suicides are by men and boys. “It’s not just a stigma, but we need to change the culture. If a man feels he cannot cope on his own, they are not coming forward” She spoke of the need for all people to realise that if they need help, male or female, they should come forward.