Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • Videos
  • Career & Education
  • Classifieds
  • All Woman
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Design Week
SRHA facing sharp spike in mental illness calls
Pedestrians walk past a homeless man asleep on a sidewalk in Mandeville, Manchester (Photo: Kasey Williams)
Central, News, Regional
Kasey Williams | Reporter  
October 15, 2021

SRHA facing sharp spike in mental illness calls

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) is reporting a sharp increase in the number of mentally ill people needing help in the region.

Regional director of SRHA Michael Bent told the Jamaica Observer that there has been a more than 40 per cent increase in the number of people needing mental health care for the quarter ending September compared to earlier this year.

The SRHA covers Manchester, Clarendon and St Elizabeth with mental health emergency response teams in each parish.

“For the last quarter we responded to 354 calls as against the prior quarter, that is April, May and June, [when] we responded to 247, so that’s about a 40-odd per cent increase…That is a steep increase in the number of responses in comparison, but we are coping,” said Bent as he responded to questions from the Observer following recent tragedies involving violence by mentally challenged people which have led to four deaths in Linstead, St Catherine and St Ann’s Bay, St Ann.

Bent said that as an essential part of their duty, mental health personnel do home visits to follow up with the mentally challenged who have not turned up for their medical appointment.

He hinted that the failure to take their medication, or incorrect dosage, sometimes contribute to mentally challenged people turning violent.

“The teams normally follow up with them. Some of them are normally given appointments and persons normally come up, so we have the teams that follow up, but like anything else, sometimes you might not be able to find them and sometimes they might not have been taking their meds as prescribed,” said Bent.

“Once they make an appointment, if they don’t turn up the team usually calls the family or sometimes actually do home visits to check on what is happening,” added Bent.

While there has been no catastrophic incident involving the mentally ill in the southern region in recent time, Wendy Freckleton, head of the Candle in the Dark Ministries, which operates a multipurpose facility to care for street people in Mandeville, said a recent incident involving emergency responders and a mentally challenged man who had a make-shift weapon had left her very disturbed.

“It is a real challenge when the mentally ill decide that they should have weapons. We have had incidents with them coming to the centre with weapons, but the good thing is whenever we ask them for it they willingly hand it over,” said Freckleton.

“Two weeks ago, we had a case where one of the mentally challenged was at the centre with a piece of steel and we had to call in the mental health department, because we were afraid that he would become violent,” added Freckleton.

She said she had to appeal to a highly placed person to get the crisis team to respond.

“When they came, they saw him and they did say that they were aware that he needs to be medicated. His medication was about two months overdue. Hence, the reason why he was behaving that way.”

Freckleton said that the man was alleged to have used the piece of steel to injure a disabled person previously.

“The piece of steel he had he used it to injure a blind man the day before yet they did not see it urgent to find him and take the weapon from him. We asked that they take him and treat him in a facility more than likely the hospital, because he was in a state that he really should have gone into an institution.

“Instead of taking him they left him at the centre [and] drove away… I don’t think that kind of response from a mental health team that should be taking care of the mentally challenged was good enough,” argued Freckleton.

“We are a charitable organisation and private people playing our part to make the work of the Mental Health Department easier and to ensure that we contribute to the safety of the wider community. Had it not been for a Candle in the Dark we would have had serious incidents with these mentally challenged persons within the business community in Mandeville.

”At least we provide for them a safe space that they can stay for the duration of the day. We engage them in terms of fellowship, they can have their meals, a safe place to [shower and] change their clothes. I think sometimes the authorities do not pay sufficient attention to the mentally challenged,” said Freckleton.

But Bent told the Observer that the report he received did not say that the mentally ill man had a piece of steel.

“She (Freckleton) called about a situation over there, but it was not reported that the person had any steel or anything like that. What was reported was that a mentally challenged person was at the centre and was turning on and off the gas cylinder and they had called the response team, but the response team was actually in Bellefield at that time attending to another case,” said Bent.

“I did call the [regional] psychiatrist and the team responded,” Bent added.

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Steely & Clevie copyright battle ‘far from over,’ says attorney
Entertainment, Latest News
Steely & Clevie copyright battle ‘far from over,’ says attorney
September 4, 2026
Despite a ruling by United States (US) District Judge Andre Birotte Jr reversing a copyright claim by the estate of dancehall producers Steely and Cle...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Seville, Gayle win DL trophies on Day 1 of final in Brussels
Latest News, Sports
Seville, Gayle win DL trophies on Day 1 of final in Brussels
September 4, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Oblique Seville won his first Wanda Diamond League men’s 100m title, while Tajay Gayle won his second men’s long jump title in thr...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
JPS invests $22m in back-to-school support across Jamaica
Latest News, News
JPS invests $22m in back-to-school support across Jamaica
September 4, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) says it has invested approximately $22 million to help students, families and schools acr...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
UPDATE: Mistrial ruling upheld in case of US mother who killed her children
International News, Latest News
UPDATE: Mistrial ruling upheld in case of US mother who killed her children
September 4, 2026
PLYMOUTH, United States (AFP) — A judge declared a mistrial on Friday in the high-profile case of an American woman who killed her three young childre...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Thousands of OpenAI AI agents went rogue, took over German website — researchers
International News, Latest News
Thousands of OpenAI AI agents went rogue, took over German website — researchers
September 4, 2026
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Thousands of autonomous AI agents built by OpenAI defied their instructions and took over a German website, accordin...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
JSE suspends another company over late financials
Business, Latest News
JSE suspends another company over late financials
BY DAVID ROSE Observer business writer davidr@jamaicaobserver.com 
September 4, 2026
Medical Disposables & Supplies Limited (MDS) has become the latest company to have trading in its shares suspended by the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE)...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Over 200 benefit from Unity Fellowship health fair in St Elizabeth
Latest News, News
Over 200 benefit from Unity Fellowship health fair in St Elizabeth
September 4, 2026
ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — The Unity Fellowship Jamaica Ministries (UFJM) recently held its 10th annual community health fair and back-to-school drive in...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Grange leading reparations delegation to the UK
Latest News, News
Grange leading reparations delegation to the UK
September 4, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange is to leave the country to lead a delegation to the United King...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct