MENTAL Health Week, being observed from October 3 to 10, comes at a time when Jamaica can no longer afford to treat mental health as a conversation reserved for those already in crisis.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has rightly framed the observance around listening, connecting, and making space for every voice, theming the week, ‘Lived experiences heard: Real voices, real change’ in an attempt to bring home the fact that mental health is everybody’s business.

We know more today about mental health than we did decades ago. There is greater recognition of depression, anxiety, trauma, suicide, and other forms of emotional distress.

Yet awareness does not automatically eliminate stigma, and knowing a problem exists does not necessarily mean we know how to respond.

As Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton pointed out in his column, ‘Logged on and lost: Protecting our youth’s mental health’ in this newspaper over the weekend, the issue is particularly urgent among Jamaica’s children and adolescents.

His comments followed the publication of the Global School-based Student Health Survey, which has renewed concern about the mental well-being of our young people. The findings are troubling.

Suicidal thoughts and depression were highest among grade 11 students; anxiety was highest among grade 10 students; while suicide attempts were particularly serious among grade nine girls, grade eight boys, and grade 10 boys.

The questions Dr Tufton posed have no simple answer: Why are so many of our young people struggling? And what can we do to help? The findings are troubling, he said, and demand attention from families, schools, communities, and the State.

The ministry has been strengthening support services for children and adolescents through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, to include specialised psychiatric, psychological and social work care through 23 child guidance clinics across the island.

Collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information is also helping schools identify and respond to mental distress. But, as Dr Tufton noted, the health system cannot carry this responsibility alone.

Mental health support begins long before someone reaches a clinic. It begins in homes in which children can admit they are having challenges without alarming their guardians.

It begins in classrooms, in which resources are readily available for those who need them. And it begins in communities where people experiencing emotional distress are met with understanding rather than labels.

That is why the conversations must continue after October 10. Our commitment must survive long after the slogans disappear.

Mental health conditions affect people of every age, background, and community, and so compassion should be just as universal.

Perhaps this week, as we move closer to World Mental Health Day on October 10, we should begin by listening more carefully to the people closest to us, especially those who have become unusually quiet, withdrawn, or overwhelmed.

Jamaica has made progress in talking about mental health. The next step is ensuring those conversations lead to greater understanding, accessible care, stronger support systems, and a society in which asking for help is not something to be ashamed of.

In this season for mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma, let us all also mobilise our efforts and cumulatively decide on what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for all.

It’s not somebody else’s problem, it’s everybody’s business.