Dear Editor,

The following is an open letter to the Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton.

Minister Tufton, I trust that you are in good mental and physical health. I pray that you, the Government, the Opposition, and civil society groups are committed to making mental health a national priority and not just an area of overall health that gets lip service or treated as an outside child.

The month of May is recognised as Mental Health Awareness Month; however, I have noticed that every year very little is done through the Ministry of Health to spread awareness and encourage support for the community of the mentally ill by way of public campaigns. This is very concerning to me as a mental health patient and advocate. Of equal concern is the general lack of investment in the community of the mentally ill and the scandalous rates of joblessness, homelessness, and spouseless living experienced by mentally ill people.

As a mental health patient and advocate for close to 30 years, I am acutely aware and intimately knowledgeable of the challenges faced by the community of the mentally ill. While there have been some appreciable investments by the Government in mental health over the last decade, there is much more that needs to be done. More resources need to be directed towards mental health, including stigma reduction campaigns. More mentally ill people need to be recruited and empowered to lead the fight to eliminate stigma and give the mentally ill a fair chance to lead normal lives. It can be done, as evidenced by my own journey with schizophrenia and psychotic depression for nearly three decades!

Not many are aware that over 100,000 people use public health facilities to access treatment and care every year for mental health-related issues. Therefore, the need for mental health services is more common than an ignorant mind would believe. Mental health is much more than the proverbial “mad smaddy” on the streets. Currently, our mental health services remain underfunded, which results in major gaps in access and quality. Yes, there has been an improvement in the variety and availability of antipsychotic medications in the public pharmacies. There has also been a marginal increase in the number of mental health practitioners, and Jamaica has some of the most competent and caring health-care professionals.

Despite some significant improvements in the delivery of mental health treatment and care, there are too many mentally ill people who are sentenced to a life of shame and poverty. There are too many mentally ill people sitting at home because no one wants to employ them due to ignorance and misinformation about mental illness. There needs to be greater effort at the community level to educate people about mental illness. I would love to see a portion of the health budget go towards providing training and placement for a cadre of mental health patients every year. These patients would become empowered and no longer have to depend on family or friends for their daily maintenance.

Minister, having a job is more than earning an income, it is about feeling valued and being a contributing member of society. Investing in mental health is a win-win for everyone. The amount of time and effort invested is important, not just the money. It is also about leadership with a heart and stick-to-itiveness.

Giving the mentally ill a fair chance to lead a normal life requires our commitment, particularly those of you who occupy seats of power through public offices. We must seek to empower the community of the mentally ill and make them productive. I refuse to accept that the scandalous rates of joblessness among the mentally ill population is attributed to our lack of abilities and competencies! Too many of us have been made victims of discrimination.

I have interacted with hundreds of mentally ill people throughout my journey with mental illness, and it has never been lost on me how ambitious this demographic is. Despite prejudice and discrimination, one thing is certain, the vast majority has ambition and dreams. Some want to start a business, some want to go back to school, and some want to learn a skill, but the ladder which the society provides is much too short to scale the giant walls of prejudice and discrimination. The community of the mentally ill just wants to be given the opportunity to step up in life and move beyond the “mad smaddy” label.

As minister of health you have a golden opportunity to craft policies and programmes built on the principles of fairness, equity, opportunity, and mutual support, whereby every Jamaican, including the mentally ill, can prosper and thrive. As an imperative, I implore you to help right the wrongs meted out to us for over 4,000 years. We are not willing to wait another 4,000 years to be treated based on equity and fairness.

With an election less than six months away and political aspirants moving towards the “election mating season”, I am making a call on behalf of all mentally ill people to be considered as part of the plan for human capital development.

I wish to make five recommendations for your consideration, Minister Tufton, which I think will significantly ease the hardship faced within the community of the mentally ill:

1) Increase the availability of atypical antipsychotic medication in public pharmacies: This will most likely lead to increased compliance and less relapse among mental health patients. More stable patients mean more independence and productivity.

2) Upscale the crisis response units in all regions: Too often families with mental health patients who are “acting up” are told to take their relatives to the hospital or clinic. There needs to be trained professionals through the Crisis Response Units who can assist families, many of whom have neither the will nor the skill to treat with mental health issues.

3) Recruit and train a cadre of mental health patients to serve as mental health ambassadors in the different regions: These mental health ambassadors would be tasked with developing programmes aimed at creating avenues of social support for mentally ill people as well as spreading awareness. They would work closely with the school, church, and community.

4) Establish a transitional centre in each constituency for the mentally ill. This would allow for mentally ill people who are on the streets to find shelter and get the medical attention they need to help restore their broken dignity. What a powerful message we would send to the citizenry when we start caring for the most vulnerable in this way!

5) Provide a stipend for families with mentally ill relatives who lack independence. This will reduce the likelihood of becoming social patients at public hospitals or being abandoned on the streets. Training should also be provided as a means of empowerment.

Minister Tufton, I know it takes cash to care, but I know we can find the cash if we really care. We have to do more for the most vulnerable! I know we can, and I expect that we will.

The word is always love!

Andre Wellington

Mental health patient and advocate

Manchester

andrewellington344@yahoo.com