For the years of exploring mental health and mental illness as global phenomenon, I’ve learned a great part of the problem with governments’ inaction is politicians’ personal prejudice and overarching ignorance, which they bring to the job and the issue.
In countries where there are members of government with the requisite information and the necessary compassion or where the politician or his/her family is affected and lobby is loud, action is higher.
I was having a discussion on Sunday with two young men who were both expressing frustration about the fact that the church does not understand and is not seeking to have better knowledge about mental health/illness.
One spoke of a member who had left the congregation and how having met her after felt so hurt when she told him her reasons for leaving.
She indicated that she lives with depression and got tired of Christians instructing her to be happy; quoting scriptures about selflessness and joyfulness when she was in crisis and crying, and disciplining her telling her to “snap out of it,” he said disapprovingly.
He said she told about becoming frustrated with people’s lack of care. I deduced that most of it came from ignorance which perpetuates insensitivity where the main message should be love and compassion, but where people are biasedly focused on sin and repentance.
I mention this because they were listening about my challenges living with mental disorders for most of my adult life. And in response to their concerns about the lack of care and understanding in T&T and the church, I heard myself say, “The church like the State draws its leaders from the same gene pool of ignorance. So that, if as a country we are backward in our understanding and information then all our responses to mental illness would be backward.”
My heart sank at the heaviness of my statement which caused me to reflect on who in this current group of politicians is sufficiently informed and up to trending global issues of social and economic development as it pertains to health, specifically mental health, to embrace this issue.
To date, all governments here have ignored mental health/illness. Each continue to perpetuate “negative cultural attitudes towards mental illness” by their silence and inaction while emphasising the “creation or retention of wealth” over the promotion of societal wellbeing. Budgets have persistently ignored mental illness and mental health and that is the main indicator of how little concerned we remain.
Meanwhile, the health and human rights of those living with mental health issues remain inappropriately protected. The fact that we cannot access service or interventions in our health “care” “system” is a shame while billions are squandered and embezzled.
We understand that many people the world over would be happier if the community of people living with mental and psychosocial illnesses of varying order all remained silent; if it were possible to just give everyone a shot in the arm and “quiet” them down or, in fact, find some kind of isolation for “those people” and their issues. But mental illness is so pervasive that every one of us will soon encounter an experience that demands our attention. It is becoming more predominant in every country, every city, town, village, household, and in everyone’s life, every day.
And, “for each year of inaction and underinvestment, the health, social and economic burden will continue to rise. Doing nothing is therefore not a viable option. Mental health (should) be considered a focus of renewed investment not just in terms of human development and dignity but also in terms of social and economic development” (http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/).
The World Health Organisation’s Investing in Mental Health report says, “There are sound arguments that support greater attention to and investment in mental health, including the protection of human rights, improved health and well-being, reduced social inequalities, and enhanced economic productivity and efficiency.”
It posits that, “As the ultimate guardians of population health, governments—in partnership with other key stakeholders—have a lead role to play in the enactment of national mental health action plans, including: the provision of better information, awareness, and education about mental health and illness; (and) improved services.
“Governments have a lead role to play in reshaping the debate about mental health, addressing current barriers and shortcomings, and responding to the escalating burden of mental disorders.”
Key actions that would mark a commitment to promote, protect, and restore mental health in T&T include government’s establishment of some sort of appropriate and embracing national inquiry into the mental health/illness/wellness of this country. Actions must include the reversal of the financial prejudice imposed on our community which requires better social services and enhanced legal, social, human rights, and financial protection.
