The holidays did not bring happiness for a family in Nofoalii, the youngest son of a mother allegedly drowned and with his death, the family has sunk into sadness.

There is trauma associated with death. The thoughts and impact of this trauma come under mental health. This is an issue that not only the health system has failed to deal with but the nation as a whole. In the case of this young man, the family said he had an illness which they think started after he fell from a tree and aggravated when he was hit in the head by a stone.

It can only be assumed from the symptoms his family described, that the young man had seizures and perhaps was epileptic. There are no suggestions that medical help was ever considered in this situation and it can only be assumed that this was the case because of the lack of awareness of mental health.

Not many people realise that mental diseases can be controlled and cured. The common practice is that nothing is done and the person is often left alone to deal with his or her state of mental health.

Now the Ministry of Health is aiming to enhance its collaboration with mental health service providers Goshen Trust by the proposed employment of certain personnel currently working for the non-governmental organisation.

This confirmation came from Aiono Professor Alec Ekeroma, the Director General of Health, during an exclusive interview with the Samoa Observer newspaper.

This is something that should have been done a long time ago, but seeing this happening now shows that the MOH wants to have a complete health coverage which includes mental health.

Aiono said they have already proposed to the Public Service Commission as they consider the service and work of Goshen Trust very important, especially in looking after individuals with mental health conditions.

He also noted that the support and partnership with Goshen Trust is very crucial, particularly in looking after patients who are not at the hospital but out in the community.

"We have proposed P.S.C. if they can employ most of the Goshen staff, in that way they can report to us and we can have some control over the patients that are out in the community under their care.

"There's quite a few of them you see roaming around town. They need care, they need medications, but they are harmless. They can be a nuisance when they start begging outside the shops, but they still need care.

"That's the section of our population that needs the support."

Everything Aiono said is correct. The Government needs to do more to address mental health in Samoa. The Mental Health Unit also depends on the Goshen Trust and amazingly there is only one psychiatrist in Samoa.

But more than anything there is a need for awareness so people recognize what mental health is, they will know what mental diseases are and how they can be treated. If people know, then they will seek help.

Employing staff is just a little part of the solution. There is a need to train more mental health experts, nurses and doctors. Medication also needs to be available readily and at subsidised prices.

Before we move any further, let’s look at the past. A report done by the Borgen Project on Samoa and Mental Health said Samoans faced many challenges regarding mental health.

It was noted that due to a lack of financial support, people have had little education about mental illness and how to treat it. This confusion has resulted in misconceptions as to what causes poor mental health.

For many years, people relied on the belief that a demon was responsible for mental illness. This “demon” dictated the person’s actions and feelings about themselves. This belief led to feelings of isolation and misunderstanding among the people. That isolation perpetuates the silence.

The report said that in the 1970s and the early 80s, Samoa experienced an epidemic of suicide. The suicide rates rose sharply, and the mental health of many Samoans worsened.

To combat this, the Government then decided they needed to build a space for people struggling with mental illness. However, they did not have the resources or money to care for these patients.

By 1981, Samoa had the third-highest suicide rate in the world per capita and a better mental health strategy can address this.

Organisations like the Goshen Trust have been looking after mental health patients since 2010 and all of this at their own expense. Their little facility can house only a small number of people and for human resources, they have only a small number of staff and there is a reliance on volunteers from overseas who come for stints lasting two to three months.

Goshen Trust Chief Executive Officer, Naomi Eshraghi predicted that with the current trend, there will be an increase in the number of patients, and the operations of the Goshen Trust are not sustainable.

The MOH is on the right track to improving mental health in Samoa, increased awareness and problem-solving will do everyone good. The future of mental health will continue to improve with better action plans to alleviate poverty and also realising that the concept of health includes mental health.