JAMAICA GLEANER- We observed World Mental Health Day on October 10, and we have been reminded that mental-health challenges can touch many families and communities. For most people, mental-health care is about ensuring that those who suffer receive the treatment they need to lead as normal a life as possible — one where they can overcome their struggles and are no longer viewed as a threat to themselves or others but as accepted and valued members of society.
On a personal note, my sister and I experienced the stigma surrounding mental illness first-hand. Our late mother struggled with mental-health challenges for much of her life, and society’s reaction was often cruel. Yet we loved and cared for her, unashamed of her condition. We refused to let societal scorn define our relationship with her. Her struggles taught us resilience, compassion, and the power of love.
Mental illness, like any other health condition, demands kindness, understanding, and care. Yet in too many of our Caribbean societies, individuals facing mental-health challenges are met with apathy, stigma, and at times even hostility. This response only deepens their suffering and worsens their conditions, perpetuating a cycle of neglect and social exclusion.
The recent editorial by The Gleaner, calling for a CARICOM-led initiative on mental health, was visionary and necessary. Mental health is now a global crisis, and our region is not immune. In fact, the Caribbean has one of the highest rates of mental-health conditions in the world, with approximately 16 per cent of our population affected. The economic cost is staggering, amounting to billions of dollars in lost productivity globally — and likely hundreds of millions regionally. But beyond the economic toll is the untold emotional and societal cost to our families and communities.
The editorial was a timely reminder of how our Caribbean societies, including our governments, have failed to offer those with mental illness the dignity, care, and respect they deserve. I applaud The Gleaner for sounding the alarm and for appealing to our collective conscience. The call for a CARICOM Summit on Mental Health is one that I fully endorse, and I am personally committed to leading efforts to make mental health a regional and global priority.
Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox
Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.
GREATEST BARRIERS
One of the greatest barriers to mental-health care is stigma. Too often, mental illness is treated as a personal failing rather than a medical condition. Public-education campaigns must aim to dismantle this stigma and replace it with empathy, understanding, and inclusion. Every individual with a mental-health condition deserves love, support, and timely interventions — just as those with physical illnesses do.
In Antigua and Barbuda, my Government is taking concrete steps to close the gaps in mental-health care. We recognise that mental-health care must be an integral part of our national health-and-wellness programmes. Therefore, we are investing $8 million in a new mental-health facility, with plans to invest a further $10 million to ensure that it provides first-class care. That care will include not only medication, but also therapeutic interventions, lifestyle changes focusing on diet, exercise, and substance-abuse management. We also plan to include a farm that will serve both as therapy and as a source of sustainable food production.
https://syndicatedsearch.goog/afs/ads?psid=5134551505&channel=AutoRsVariant&cx=r-0c4f043ef0f4d5ca3&fexp=21404%2C17301437%2C17301438%2C17301442%2C17301511%2C17301516%2C17301266%2C72717107&client=pub-4993191856924332&r=m&hl=en&rpbu=http%3A%2F%2Fgoogle.com&rpqp=q&type=3&rs_tt=c&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&format=r5&nocache=2511728822163952&num=0&output=afd_ads&domain_name=jamaica-gleaner.com&v=3&bsl=10&pac=0&u_his=2&u_tz=-180&dt=1728822163953&u_w=1470&u_h=956&biw=1470&bih=738&psw=1470&psh=9442&frm=0&uio=-&cont=autors-container-0&drt=0&jsid=csa&nfp=1&jsv=683617201&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fjamaica-gleaner.com%2Farticle%2Fcommentary%2F20241013%2Fgaston-browne-prioritising-mental-health-call-action-caribbean-and&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
Regionally, we have advanced discussions with CARICOM Heads of Government to host a Summit on Mental Health. We have also engaged the World Health Organization (WHO) to prioritize mental health as a standalone issue rather than an adjunct to other health conditions. I am pleased to say that Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of WHO, has agreed to establish a high-level dialogue on mental health at the next UN General Assembly. Furthermore, Antigua and Barbuda will introduce a mental- health resolution at the UNGA, with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Globally, the conversation about mental health is evolving, but it must translate into action. We have a responsibility as leaders, as citizens, and as human beings to care for the most vulnerable among us. As Mahatma Gandhi observed: “The true measures of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” In other words, how a society treats its most vulnerable is the defining measure of its humanity.
Let us commit to working together — locally, regionally, and internationally — to build societies where mental-health care is not a luxury but a priority. Together, we can empower individuals with mental-health challenges to lead productive, fulfilling lives and contribute to the development of our nations.
The time to act is now.
Gaston Browne is the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
This would be fabulous were it to materialize.Politicians can be politicking and just say stuff for a vote,,but,, this would indeed be fabulous.
Just walking in St Johns,,the amount of young shirtless, shoeless and even pantless ,young men milling around,, speaking to themselves or to imaginary companions,,,, is staggering.
I have recently started noticing a few women, one mid aged,, stands out for she will ask for something to eat or something to drink. One young man brought tears to my eyes as he sat by digicel’s business,, I took him across the street to the shawarma shop and told him to get what he wanted as I stifled back tears paying for his meals.
There were two women sitting in corner observing me ,,,, they must have thought, I found a long lost family member but no,,
I had never seen he before in my life.
it just brought pain that a human being was suffering in that manner and all I could do,,was feed him.
I had given another one about a year before a pair of exquisite black leather shoes, only to see him the next week with a right flip-flop different from the left.
There is a 6’5″ tall guy,,from the hatton area that sometimes hangs out under a tree when crossing from Golden Grove to Tindale Rd ,, he sometimes walks up friars Hill road to sit someplace close to the golf course he can be scary, for he generally imitates a gun with his fingers pointing at me.
These young men and women need help.
Please.
Great news indeed!
And one hopes that Browne includes the mental anguish and anxiety of those young and old who unfortunately succumbed to his Covid-19 mandates and took the trial mRNA vaccines, and in turn are living with these ticking time-bombs inside of them.
My once active neighbour, can just about walk to his front fence/gate after taking the AstraZeneca injection; another family friend is recovering from breast cancer after taking the vaccine so she could travel; another Antiguan has loose teeth and nerve damage after taking the vaccine; and one of my good friends, developed prostate cancer after his one and only mRNA injection – he took it because he also had to travel.
All three have expressed their mental anxieties.
Browne’s implementation of the Covid-19 mandates has caused untold mental anguish to this day … and continues to do so. Fact!
TACKLING ALL MENTAL ISSUES IS A MUST!
I still thank the Lord each and everyday that I didn’t listen to the ABLP and Gaston Browne during their implementation and coercion of the Covid-19 vaccines in Antigua.
First start by getting rid of the toxic work environment in the public sector. This toxic environment plays a very significant role in the demeanour, attitudes of the employees and their families. Exorcise the Parliament of its demonic nature and this will help the general public with their mental issues.
The hand to mouth, hands out begging, trinkets pacification way of living needs to be addressed immediately. Another ease on the mental stability of families.
Talking blues is not new news sound bites to calm the people’s nerves.