KINGSTON, Jamaica — Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis says a review of records for 107 patients of the Bellevue Hospital in Kingston, showed that 94 of them, or 88 per cent, were schizophrenic, 12 per cent with bipolar disorders and one with depression.

Monroe Ellis said that the hospital informed her department that persons with these mental disorders do not require long term hospitalisation. But, the records showed that all 13 patients who have been in the hospital for 21-35 years were diagnosed as schizophrenic.

Two of them were from the Corporate Area; five from other parishes; and the address of the other six patients were unknown.

Incidentally, one patient, who has been at the institution for 13 years, has an undisclosed address outside Jamaica.

Patients requiring admission are often referred to Bellevue, as no beds are dedicated for mental patients at other hospitals except for the Cornwall Regional and University Hospital of the West Indies.

The Ministry of Health has assured, however, that amendments to the Mental Health Act of 1997, which are to be tabled in Parliament shortly, will allow for the reform of mental health service in Jamaica and ensure conformity with international human rights standards.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

Balford Henry