For many Jamaicans, Christmas is a time of joy, celebration, and merriment.

It’s the time when family will travel miles to be with each other, share a meal and exchange gifts. Many people and organisations also use the period to seek to brighten the spirits of the less fortunate by providing for their needs.

But while many Jamaicans look forward to the season’s festivities, there are others who respond with apprehension, because of the enormous expectations to fit in.

This can lead to people being overwhelmed and experiencing a sense of hopelessness, anxiety and sadness.

While clinical research by the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has proven that the Christmas suicide peak is a long perpetuated myth, the concerns remain.

According to CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, US suicides (at more than 40,000 per year, the 10th-leading cause of death) are at a nadir in December.

In Jamaica, for Sheila Myrie, a retiree, Christmas had always been a happy time, however, she wonders how she will cope this holiday as her husband of 44 years passed away earlier this year.

“This Christmas will be very sad and very lonely,” said Myrie. “I’m not looking forward to it.”

According to Myrie, every Christmas she and her husband would exchange gifts and join her older sister for dinner where they would chat, laugh and reminisce about their early years. Sometimes they would attend parties and she is concerned that those memories will intensify her grief.

“My husband was very caring to me and our children. He was patient and he took me everywhere I wanted to go. He would take me to the dentist, optician, and hairdresser and always wait until I was through,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

The Christmas “blues” is relatable for Tameka Coley, who has been coping with depression since childhood. She said the demands of the Christmas season are sometimes overwhelming for her.

“It is a cheerful season, therefore, if you don’t feel that way, and if persons around you don’t understand what you are going through, then you are forced to pretend that everything is all right, and that can be emotionally draining,” said Coley, who is the director of communications for the Jamaica Mental Health Advocacy Network; and founder of It’s Okay JA, a monthly mental health support group, as well as author of the book: Hard Gal Fi Dead — Musings, Poems, Notes to Self.

Coley noted that many people, like her, often experience depression during the Christmas season.

She said that due to the stigma attached to mental illness, some family members will disregard their loved ones who are depressed, which worsens the situation for these people, as they feel left out or ignored at family gatherings.

Coley identified issues which contribute to people going into depression mode at Christmas including financial problems, family conflict, and grief.

“Financially, if persons can’t afford to purchase presents for their loved ones, mount a Christmas tree, or hold a family dinner, they can feel inadequate,” she said.

“For many persons, family members are the source of their stress. When they go to the family home, they are forced to interact with someone who either abused them, or traumatised them, therefore, some persons will choose to stay by themselves,” added Coley.

She argued that family members need to be more accommodating to individuals who are feeling depressed during the holidays.

“Do not exclude them. Understand the humanity of the person and put yourself in their shoes,” Coley advised.

A similar appeal has come from Janice Green, president of the Jamaica Occupational Health and Safety Professionals Association, who is also occupational health and safety officer at The Jamaica National Group.

Green is urging Jamaicans to be supportive of their colleagues, who they suspect are finding it difficult to cope with the demands of the holiday season.

“Many depressed persons struggle to cope with the high expectations that may result in heightened emotions and increased stress. An external sign of a depressed person can be in the sad tone of their conversations during Christmas,” said Green.

“I used to enjoy Christmas, but not any more. And often, the depressed person would state a time. As an observant colleague, sometimes you would be able to make a connection between the stated time and the person. The connection would be a point when there was a life-changing situation in the depressed person’s life, such as the passing of a loved one,” added Green.

She is urging Jamaicans to look out for the subtle signs of depression as these people are often reluctant to participate in office Christmas socials.

“The depressed person would sometimes give the impression that he or she is always busy. They never are able to make the time to socialise — during lunch breaks, after work, or at their own department’s Christmas social, which is sometimes held during working hours.”

“The act of giving and the hospitality generated usually connect people and deepen relationships. Those selfless acts can assist individual persons who are depressed, to cope better during the Christmas season,” said Green.