Getting the message across that someone seeking or receiving counselling from a mental health specialist, a friend or respected community member, doesn’t mean the individual is ‘mad’ is a major challenge.

Nor is the problem new.

As far back as any of us can remember, Jamaicans have always been inclined to sweep mental health challenges under the carpet — away from prying eyes.

As Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton and mental health specialists have repeatedly said, “stigmatisation” is a huge hindrance to dealing with mental illness, which is widespread in this country.

Indeed, this newspaper is convinced that undiagnosed and untreated mental health challenges — involving people who seem perfectly normal — are at the heart of much of the violence afflicting this country. We also note what is said to be a worrying surge in suicides and suicidal tendencies.

To break down that barrier, so our people can more easily understand the need to get help, we all have to keep talking about it through targeted public education and in everyday interaction.

In terms of his own personal determination to discuss the problem, we believe Dr Tufton can’t be faulted.

We particularly like his recent call for an “all society” effort since “no single group or subgroup” can manage what he calls “the greatest health challenge in society today”.

According to Dr Tufton, “By all statistics, our mental state, our state of mind has been challenged for many reasons” — not least “…new and emerging challenges”.

To form a picture of one major emerging challenge we need only think of individuals going about their business while focused on their smartphones to the seeming exclusion of everything and everyone around them.

For many, the fast-forwarding of new communication technologies and the related social media phenomenon is rapidly relegating traditional face-to-face, social interaction to the back-burner.

How is all of that impacting human behaviour? The available evidence suggests it’s not all good. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has only made the situation worse.

More cause for projects such as the so-called Problem Management Plus (PM+) involving training of volunteers to help their neighbours “work through” problems such as anxiety, stress and mild depression. We hear that 120 such volunteers, including individuals attached to faith-based and community organisations, were recently trained through a partnership of the Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Such a project is obviously particularly useful in the Jamaican context since fully qualified mental health specialists are few and far between.

Crucially, it is an important building block in getting people at the grass-roots, community level attuned to the idea that mental challenges should not be cause for shame and disgrace; and that all of us are vulnerable.

Also, in our view, Mr Ian Stein, PAHO/WHO representative for Jamaica, is right on target in asserting that: “We need to foster more community engagement. Communities can foster connectedness and act as a powerful source of support. In times of distress, being able to lean on a community can be an essential aspect of self-care…”

We think this project and others, such as the School Mental Health Literacy Programme launched a year ago, deserve rich applause.