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Dear Editor,
When Will We Stop Reacting and Start Preparing?
Mental health is not a new issue in Antigua and Barbuda, yet time and time again, we see the same unfortunate cycle—mentally ill individuals being mishandled, injured, or worse, due to a lack of proper intervention strategies.
Too many times, the police, untrained in crisis intervention, have been forced to deal with persons in the midst of psychotic breaks. And too often, their methods have proven excessive, even brutal.
We have seen incidents where mentally ill individuals have been shot with rubber bullets, beaten in the streets, or restrained with unnecessary force.
On the other hand, we have also seen a tragic case where a mentally unstable individual caused the death of a police officer.
This is not just an issue of protecting those experiencing mental crises—it is about ensuring the safety of the public, law enforcement, and everyone involved.
Police Are Not Mental Health Professionals
The fact of the matter is, the police are not trained to handle psychiatric crises.
Their role is law enforcement, not mental healthcare. Expecting them to deal with these delicate situations without proper training and resources is not only unfair but dangerous.
It is time for the Ministry of Health and the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda to come together and implement a structured, humane, and effective approach to managing mental health emergencies.
A Call for a Specialized Task Force
What we need is a designated team—properly trained and equipped—to respond to mental health crises. This task force should include:
- Medical professionals who can safely administer sedatives if necessary.
- Crisis intervention specialists trained to de-escalate volatile situations.
- Law enforcement officers equipped with proper protective gear and non-lethal restraints.
This approach ensures that individuals in crisis are subdued without unnecessary harm and that officers do not have to resort to violence out of fear or lack of options.
Sensitization and Public Awareness
A plan is only effective if people know about it. Once a system is in place, a public education campaign must follow.
The public, business owners, and all stakeholders should be aware of who to call, what to expect, and how to safely interact with individuals in distress. Too often, we react with fear or aggression simply because we do not understand what is happening.
Mental Health is More Than a Slogan
Mental health advocacy cannot just be about wearing T-shirts, attending a few events, and feeling good about “raising awareness.” We need action. Real, systemic change.
People are suffering under the increasing pressures of life—financial instability, emotional distress, physical illness. Many of us are just one crisis away from a mental breakdown ourselves.
We cannot continue to say “we should have done this” after tragedy strikes. We need to act NOW.
I am calling on the relevant authorities to stop treating mental health like an afterthought and start prioritizing it as a national emergency. Train the police. Build the necessary support systems. Create a clear, humane protocol.
Because the next crisis could be closer than we think. And if we do nothing, we will all have blood on our hands.
A Concerned Citizen
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We need more accessible mental health services, not just talk.
Hope this means more funding for mental health professionals. Because they need it.. This profession can be so challenging at times.
How about a national helpline for those in crisis?
Why don’t you give out your phone number for people to call when in crisis?
Mental health shouldn’t be a taboo topic anymore. Time for real change! Mental health is such a serious things.. so much can come from this.. SMHH
Where are the policies to ensure people get the help they need before it’s too late? Antigua do better!!!!!!!!!!!!
We need more trained professionals, especially in rural areas. Mental health crises are rising; prevention should be a focus, not just treatment.
Mental Health for all of us must be in tip top shape and there is need this by optimtmizing and meeting our daily needs of physical, emotional and spiritual needs through exercises ,diet and nutrition and spiritual awareness. Mental ill Health on the contrary is when we are incrisis from a number of factors that affect our well being ,stressors , depression, drugs, alcohol and other disorders that can affect our mental health . Persons in crisis depending on the disorder will present with symptoms that are not combative and easy to assit those with violent tendencies in a maniac phase can do great harm to themselves and to others who are trying to assist , the police are afraid for their own lives when dealing with mentally ill patients from what has happened in the past and no amount of training will change their approaches what we need is a Trained set of Nurses and Aides that work at the facility that knows the patients to assit them while in crisis to take them to get help even in crisis they are able to recognize these nurses because of the relationship they have developed while in their care the so let’s get a team of nurses to help with this crisis it’s not difficult for those persons that are now presenting with symptoms of mental ill behaviors let their relatives take them to hospital to get the help they need
Yes truth .even at mount st John’s..we are not taking this thing serious