Dear Editor,
In recent weeks, while watching the evening news, I have been dismayed by the unsettling rise in violence and deaths linked to mental illness. Too often, individuals living with these conditions are positioned as social outcasts, who are often perceived as a constant threat to themselves and those around them. Many are pushed out of workplaces and families, left to grapple with the harsh reality of surviving on their own.
Their presence often leaves some on edge, heightened by the unpredictability of their behavior. Isolation only deepens the weight they carry, until the burden becomes unbearable and a breaking point is reached. Sadly, this outcome leave innocent bystanders being seriously injured or killed. At what point does a society’s failure to provide adequate mental health support transform from a systemic oversight into a collective responsibility for the tragedies that follow?
Over the past few weeks, attacks carried out by individuals struggling with mental illness have left a couple dead, along with the perpetrators themselves. What is more disconcerting is that assistance for the aforementioned issues was requested urgently for a long time, yet it remained unaddressed or tarried before it was too late. Sometime last year, I wrote a column for the Jamaica Observer mentioning that many individuals affected by mental disorders will often hesitate to seek help because of the constant stigma and social prejudice they face.
According to the Mayo Clinic, mental illnesses encompass a wide range of disorders that disrupt mood, thinking, and behavior. These conditions do not discriminate as they affect rich and poor, male and female, at any age. The spectrum is broad and complex with overlapping symptoms, with bipolar disorder, dementia and manic depression ranking among the most common. Even after initial treatment, some of these illnesses recrudesce years later, making ongoing care and long-term strategies essential to slowing their progression.
About one in eight people live with some mental health condition, and accounts for one trillion dollars in debt accrued globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). If you or a loved one see signs like the ones listed below then quick action with a suitable medical practitioner can limit proliferation of the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic Website:
- Feeling sad or down, confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
- Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt
- Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
- Withdrawal from friends and activities
- Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping
The onset of neurodegenerative disorders is often erroneously deemed a death sentence. Such instances must raise a red flag however, and instil a sense of urgency. Our uphill battle against mental illness requires a steward-like mindset and significant and consistent socio-economic investment from both the public and private sectors to ensure a circumspect approach to mental healthcare.
I am,
Dujean Edwards
Educator and Researcher
