This week I want to look at the issue of mental health. I am aware that it is a delicate subject to talk about; I know that in the Caribbean it is still quite a taboo subject and people who suffer from mental health difficulties are often misunderstood and shunned in their communities.
What springs to mind when you think of the word mental health. People very often think of mental illness. An advertising campaign some years ago in the U.K admonished the public to look after their mental health.
I believe it was an attempt to de- stigmatise, the word mental health at that time. Looking after your mental health has nothing to do with actually having mental health problems but it is about adopting a lifestyle that helps to enhance your general well-being, having time to do things that will stimulate your mind and body.
I believe that the stigma and myth around mental illness is still a powerful negative influence which means that problems are often not recognised and therefore people do not get the help they need.
But if we are honest we can recall times when we have had low moods and feelings that impact on how we function on a day to day basis. The word depression comes to mind, it may not have lasted long but it took its toll.
We may also know friends or relatives who have struggled or are struggling with depression or other diagnosed mental health difficulties. The fact is mental illness is something that cannot be seen but it can feel just as bad or worse as any other illness.
We may be able to come to terms with an adult having a diagnosis such as depression or bi-polar disorder but what about a young person who may develop mental health problems: This may be harder to accept, burying our heads in the proverbial sand about the issue.
But do you know that in the U.K alone it is reported that 1in10 children and young people suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder, this also includes children as young as 5 years old. That means that in a class of 28 children at least 3 of them will have mental health concerns.
So a child that may be labelled as difficult, or disruptive, or withdrawn this maybe what adults see and begin to discipline children in an inappropriate way without recognising that there may be underlying causes.
I work with some of these children. I also understand the other side of the coin, is that professionals can be quick to find a label for a problem in order for them to have something to treat.
However that label can become the defining factor in a person’s life and can become very damaging and often not an easy label to shake off. Some of the causes of mental health difficulties in children and adults can be: a difficult family background, traumatic events, such as the loss of a loved one, drugs, genetic disposition, hereditary factors and other social and emotional factors. This means that there can be many complex reasons and causes for someone’s problem.
I read somewhere that in the past that a person’s ability to think and reason and being logical was more important than being in touch with one’s own feelings and emotions. Big boys don’t cry and having a stiff upper lip would be the modern equivalent of not allowing your emotions to show, so they are often suppressed and locked tight within.
I have a poster on the wall in my office which says it is better out than in, meaning that it is good to express what you are feeling instead of “bottling it up”. I believe we need to work more on maintaining our own mental health, and at the same time developing more of a sympathetic and tolerant attitude in our communities for adults and young people who maybe struggling with mental health problems.
Let me know your views
