ENTERTAINER Lisa Hyper was admitted in the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew on Wednesday. She is in stable condition.

She spoke to the Jamaica Observer and said that as a result of her illness, she has been forced to miss a number of contracted dancehall events such as Fyah in Da Ville alongside Skeng, a two-week tour in England, and another show in Manchester.

“I would like to apologise to the promoters and to my fans, but my health struggles have pushed the situation beyond my control. Right now, I don’t know how long I will be on this ward but when I get out, I am done with smoking,” she told the Observer.

Speaking in a recent interview with radio host Nikki Z on The Bridge 99 FM, Lisa Hyper admitted that mental health challenges ought not to be viewed with shame and even urged her fellow artistes and creatives to seek professional help to deal with issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar and other personality disorders.

“When you have mental problems seek help; nothing is wrong with it. Mental heath [problems] – everybody guh through it. Me guh through it. Lisa Hype guh through. Suh oonu seek help. Don’t be too shame or full a pride or too much ego. Unuh seek help, especially di artiste,” she said.

Depression is a leading cause of illness and disability among adolescents, and suicide is the second-leading cause of death in adolescents. One in five youth worldwide will experience a mental illness before they turn 25 and about 70 per cent of these disorders emerge by age 14 and often go undiagnosed for up to 10 years.

There is considerable stigma associated with mental illness in Jamaica, often leading to avoidance, rejection, and even victimisation. According to the 2017 Global Burden of Disease database, about 3 per cent of Jamaicans have a depressive disorder, while 4.1 per cent have an anxiety disorder.

Lisa Hyper was part of Vybz Kartel’s roster of artistes known as Portmore Empire. In October, she was baptised and converted to Christianity.

She is known for hit songs, including Sculpture, Body Fit, Pretty Butterfly, Wine for Me, Champion Bubbler, and Bills featuring Gaza Kim.