After a successful presentation at an international conference on mental health, local practitioner Dr Stella Mokitimi is ready to plough back her newly acquired knowledge.
Mokitimi concluded her trip to Dubai yesterday, where she attended a five-day conference with a number of experts from different countries.
She joined the 25th International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions conference held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Dr Ammar Albanna, the chairperson of the conference, said the congress served as a global hub for scientists and clinicians from all over the world to present their work and discuss the latest advances, under the theme of “Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Shaping the Future”.
“The topic of mental health has never been more important. As the world is going through this pandemic that is causing significant distress, especially on vulnerable populations such as children,” he said in a statement.
Following her successful presentation, Mokitimi is ready to share what she has learnt with her colleagues in the Western Cape. She spoke about understanding and strengthening child and adolescent mental health services and systems in Africa.
“As a researcher, I will write this up so everyone can access these models.
“I could not miss the opportunity to share the work we do at Khayelitsha and Eastern Substructure to strengthen child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) in an international platform, and other countries were interested.”
She said the conference provided attendees insight into the need to continue seeking ways to improve the services at the community level and ensure patients were supported even beyond the health-care facilities.
“We need to use platforms and methods that are relevant and speak to the needs of our adolescents and to create separate CAMHS in our district hospitals, as we cannot continue re-traumatising our children or letting them relapse due to no follow-up sessions once they’re discharged,” said Mokitimi, explaining her take-home from the conference.
She said that, locally, more girls were affected by mental health than boys, with most diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety and depression. “We had more suicide incidents recently, and we have also noted that some even experience learning difficulties,” she added.
Neshaan Peton, the Comprehensive Health Programmes deputy director at Kess, said the management was proud of Mokitimi’s work and her presenting it locally and internationally.
“She has fiercely been advocating for resources for these services, creating links, and is a real champion for mental health,” Peton said.