Scrolling through my social media timelines on Wednesday, I could not help but notice the amount of RIP posts for a young woman from many of her Facebook and Instagram friends.

Upon enquiring, I was told that the young lady had taken her own life due to depression. This led me doing some research on mental health locally. The findings on the lack of mental health service providers and resources are quite shocking.

According to a report from the World Health Organization - Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHOAIMS), the mental health system in Guyana is fragmented, poorly resourced, and not integrated into the general healthcare system. Mental health services are inadequate and not available or accessible to the vast majority of the population.

In addition, few adequately trained specialized mental health professionals are available within mental health services. At the time of the assessment, there were three psychiatrists in the public sector locally, two based in Georgetown and one at the National Psychiatric Hospital.

Besides these physicians, mental health staff have variable levels of training, and often lack the competencies required to provide adequate quality mental health care.

Guyana’s total of three full-time psychiatrists translates into 0.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 population significantly below the world reference average of 4.2 per 100,000 (WHO, 2005). By these standards, Guyana’s mentally ill are markedly underserved.

Many have been calling for the powers that be to place greater importance on mental health. It is quite evident that much more can and should be done.

However, while making an appointment to see a psychiatrist is recommended for depression, I would always advise people that exercising is a great form of therapy and stress release.

Aerobic exercises, including jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening and dancing, have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression. These improvements in mood are proposed to be caused by exercise-induced increase in blood circulation to the brain and by an influence on the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis and, thus, on the physiologic reactivity to stress. Exercise is proven to improve mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.

Just 30 minutes of exercise of moderate intensity, such as brisk walking for three days a week, is sufficient for these health benefits. Moreover, these 30 minutes need not be continuous; three ten-minute walks are believed to be as equally useful as one 30-minute walk. Exercise my people.