The Student Support Services department of the Ministry of Education has reported a 50 percent increase in students in need of mental health attention.

Senior Psychologist at the Ministry, Juanita Brathwaite-Wharton, says they have had to refer more students than usual to mental health institutions.

She spoke to Starcom Network News at the Frederick Smith Secondary School following the relaunch of an anti-bullying programme

She admitted that there is a shortage of counsellors to accommodate all the schools.

Senior Psychologist   with the Student Support Services of the Ministry of Education, Juanita Brathwaite-Wharton,

Director of the Psychiatric hospital, David Leacock, says while mental health cases in Barbados have increased, hospitalization remains low.

His comment follows reports from the Ministry of Health that the number of mental health cases at the polyclinics increased by two hundred per cent last year.

Mr. Leacock says plans are underway to increase staffing to facilitate the increase in cases at the polyclinics.