Wake up, Jamaica!

The ‘duppy’ dubbed mental health (or is it ill-health?) is fast becoming a most scary issue. The recent rash of suicides has raised the alarm with respect to this troubling issue which continues to manifest itself in various ways, some obvious and some not so obvious. Indeed, the time has come for the goodly Dr Christopher Tufton to rename his ministry Health and Mental Wellness.

Some years ago the late Dr Frederick W Hickling, professor emeritus of psychiatry at The University of the West Indies, Mona, made the alarming disclosure that a significant number of Jamaicans were experiencing some form of depression which could be related to mental illness. Many Jamaicans took this as some kind of joke, dismissing this finding as fallacy. As one sceptic put it, “After so many of us couldn’t be so mad.”

Truth be told, however, mental health is not just about being “mad”. It has to do with a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being. In essence, it refers to a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.

According to an online source, “When our mental health is not so good, life feels more of a struggle. We might often feel sad or tearful and helpless and exhausted. We might feel under unbearable stress, or often worried about bad things happening to us or people we care about. All of these are very common experiences.” This, in essence, means we are not OK. And when we are not OK, this can lead to extreme depression and hopelessness, which can further lead to suicidal ideation.

In today’s fast-paced world, in which immediate gratification is the order of the day, many individuals become easily depressed if they are not able to live what is deemed a successful lifestyle. Indeed, the proverbial business of keeping up with the Joneses has taken on much significance, especially with the advent of social media platforms on which many people flaunt their lavish lifestyles — showing off. Indeed, unbeknownst to many bloggers, vloggers, and other social media profilers, their flaunting in many instances cause not just envy and jealousy, but also depression as persons feel inadequate and undervalued.

Notwithstanding the much-touted prosperous society that Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness boasts about, the harsh reality is that many Jamaicans are living beyond their means, and in order to keep up an image of success, many of them resort to various dishonest, criminal, and devious ways to appear successful and OK. This is not just to blame Brogad, God, or the Devil. The fact is that many Jamaicans want to hang their baskets where they cannot reach them. Such a practice brings on much stress which leads to depression and, ultimately, an unhappy life. So they are not OK.

The sad truth is that learning to cope in today’s Jamaica is fast becoming an overwhelming task, and those who fail to cope are not OK, and when they are not OK things can fall apart. This is when suicidal thoughts can kick in, and contrary to the popular view — though hanging oneself or overdosing with a lethal substance may be the conventional ways to end it all — the sad truth is that there are other forms of suicide that are not being considered to be such or recorded accordingly by the authorities.

There are many case studies in the Jamaican society which, when carefully examined, indicate that stressed out individuals choose to call it a day by smoking and drinking excessively, which are silent killers; some drive recklessly to cause a crash to end it all; and there is the classic suicide by cop route. In this latter case, when one looks at the alarming number of young mean being cut down by the police it begs the question as to whether or not, outside of incidents of extra-judicial killings or genuine cases of self-defence on the part of the lawmen, there is reason to believe that some of these young guns took the decision to go out in a blaze of glory, or ignominy for that matter. After all, there have been many instances when young men have declared that they do not expect to live past 25 and, to them, the idea of going to prison for a long time is worse than death itself.

Then there is the issue of partying with the intention to die. Although not highlighted in the media or documented by health officials, there have been frequent deaths, especially among young men, who go on wild binges, consuming large quantities of so-called energy drinks mixed with hard liquor, in a vain attempt to drown their sorrows. I know of one such case in which a young man was having serious relationship problems with his two babymothers, both of whom were giving him “bun” in addition to making heavy demands on his pocket for child maintenance even when there was some doubt relating to paternity issues. One Friday he went on a prolonged drinking binge then went home. Early the next day he was rushed to the hospital not feeling well and was soon pronounced dead. Heart attack.

Of course, particularly among students, bullying has become a popular pastime which has led to suicides and other forms of antisocial behaviour. In the final analysis, coping skills are not easily learnt and must be reinforced by professionals so trained to do — a critical aspect of counselling in the wider society which must be encouraged.

In this vein, the same amount of attention that is being placed on dealing with non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart problems must be given to the pressing issue of mental health because there is every reason to suspect that there is creeping up in the Jamaican society an epidemic relating to mental wellness.

Let’s check on ourselves and our loved ones.

Lloyd B Smith has been involved in Jamaican media for 50 years now. He has also served as a People’s National Party Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.

Reports of the recent deaths by suicide are alarming.

The same amount of attention that is being placed on dealing with non-communicable diseases must be given to the pressing issue of mental health.

Posts showing lavish lifestyles on social media platforms have caused many people to feel inadequate.

Lloyd B Smith