Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1183404
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 NOVEMBER 2019 NEWS 吀椀挀欀攀琀猀 愀挀挀攀瀀琀攀搀 甀渀琀椀氀 ㈀ 琀栀 一漀瘀攀洀戀攀爀 ㈀ 㤀 䘀漀爀 洀漀爀攀 椀渀昀漀Ⰰ 瀀氀攀愀猀攀 挀漀渀琀愀挀琀 甀猀 漀渀 㨀 䔀㨀 椀渀昀漀⸀眀猀䀀眀愀猀琀攀猀攀爀瘀洀愀氀琀愀⸀挀漀洀 䘀爀攀攀瀀栀漀渀攀㨀 㠀 㜀㈀㈀ 眀眀眀⸀眀愀猀琀攀猀攀爀瘀洀愀氀琀愀⸀挀漀洀 一䔀堀吀 䐀刀䄀圀 ㌀ 琀栀 一漀瘀攀洀戀攀爀 ㈀ 㤀 愀 갠㔀 瘀漀甀挀栀攀爀 昀爀漀洀 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "Another side of suicide is that they are also often a result of a moment's impulse," Grech said. Between 1995 and 2018, there have been 635 deaths owing to suicide – or two persons taking their life every month. Grech's reaction was one of anguish: "Unfortunately, Mount Carmel hospital is not fit for purpose, but that's what we have and we have to work with what we have." Grech said the biggest prob- lem in mental health was not the lack of provision of a cure but that very few people ap- proach the cure willingly. However, he insisted, the case in Malta was that Mount Car- mel was a very old building which had been abandoned to dilapidation and hazard. "One of our mission state- ments is that we no longer need Mount Carmel because people can obtain a cure from their community. It was an excellent hospital at the time but in the last few years, all its structural problems were revealed. It be- came unsafe. For renovation to happen, we have to move pa- tients elsewhere, patients who have been residents there for more than 50 years. "Fortunately, in the last few months, around 200 persons that we decided no longer need to reside at the hospital have been removed. The structur- ally worst-off section has been emptied of patients completely and will be demolished and turned into a therapeutic gar- den." Increased pressure of school life Grech also laid some blame on academic life as building up unnecessary pressure on young and vulnerable students. "The education system is creating more than necessary tension in forming our character," he said. Three young individuals who shared their experiences with mental health issues in educa- tion spoke of having to deal with eating disorders, psychosis and bipolar disorder. Miriana Testaferrata de Noto said she faced up to her eating disorders when tracing them to a trigger when she was just ten years old. Liam Caruana, who works in a pharmaceutical company, described his difficulties with bipolar effective disorder, an illness that paralysed him for months and isolated him from peers. And psychology student Matthew Paris, said that he had been experiencing psychosis for over ten years, an illness which bombarded him with visual and auditory hallucina- tions that came in the way of his studies and personal life. All three individuals men- tioned how their mental health problems started manifesting themselves at a time when they were vulnerable during their Ordinary examinations at the age of 15. "What's worse is that circum- stances that should be offering recreation and opportunities for character development have been turned into examinations. To become a footballer, you no longer play out on the streets and in the field, but you need to submit yourself to a number of exams and tests. It's unbe- lievable... the education system is creating too much tension," Grech said. Cannabis warning Grech, who has already come out against the legalization of cannabis, also expressed doubts on the efficacy of medi- cal cannabis. The top psychiatrist has al- ready insisted that people with a family history of schizophre- nia should not consume the plant. Schizophrenia is present in about one per cent of the population, that is, about 4,000 Maltese people. About 100 new cases are diagnosed every year in Malta but the percentage of people genetically predis- posed to the disease remains unknown. Grech said it is not just rec- reational cannabis that can be a threat to one's mental health but medical cannabis too. "When we refer to medical cannabis, we are talking about just an extract from marijuana, which contains around 400 components, the most com- mon of which are THC and CBD. THC is the bad com- ponent, the one that causes psychosis. With CBD, there is some research that shows that it could be good against pain and certain anxiety." Grech said that what most people referred to as medical cannabis was not pure CBD and that some extracts still contained some other danger- ous components, including THC. "There are some illegal strands of cannabis that con- tain just 2% of THC while med- ical cannabis can contain 5%, so it's useless being so absolute about cannabis. Research is needed before we make cer- tain statements," Grech said, adding that sometimes doctors prescribed CBD for an ailment that research didn't guarantee would require CBD treatment. Mount Carmel 'not fit for purpose' "The education system is creating more than necessary tension in forming our character." Anton Grech Prof. Anton Grech (left) with health minister Chris Fearne at Mt Carmel Hospital