Minister Spencer Message on World Mental Health Day/Mental Health Week

The Ministry of Health joins with the rest of the World to observe World Mental Health Day on October 10. This year we also intend to have a week of activities from October 10-14 to mark the occasion.  As we continue to promote mental health and the need for more significance to be placed on affected persons, this observance will assist us to bring more awareness of these issues to our population.

This year’s theme: “The Great Push: Investing in Mental Health” asserts the Ministry’s commitment to its drive to improve the availability and accessibility of mental health services. As a signatory to a number of United Nations Conventions which seek to protect the rights of persons with mental health, the Government provides a comprehensive range of services in this area even as we seek to expand our offerings.

We have made significant progress in terms of integrating mental health services into general health services. These services are now offered at 139 locations including health centres, hospitals and outpatient departments. We are also ensuring that there is access to services at the community level. The community mental health service has an Assertive Outreach Programme which brings mental health care to this population and also connects them to existing services.  Each Regional Health Authority has a crisis response team which can be contacted for psychiatric crisis. 

A significant portion of the population is affected by mental health issues. According to studies conducted, one in every five Jamaicans has symptoms of depression. That translates to about 20 percent of the population. In 2008 the total discharges from government hospitals for Neuro-Psychiatric conditions was 4,493 with males accounting for 56.3% of that number.

Each of us as citizens of this country has a responsibility to protect the rights of these affected individuals and their families. Stigma and discrimination remains a major challenge to the efforts of the Ministry and to the desire of families and individuals to seek and remain in treatment as well as to try to live a normal life once they have the mental health issue under control.  Any investment that we make in mental health has to take this issue into consideration.

There has to be a community oriented approach to mental health not just through the offerings of the Ministry but also the community embracing and assisting persons with mental disorders and not abusing, attacking, scorning nor neglecting them.  The support of the family and community is integral to any successful programme.

I would like Jamaicans to pay particular attention as we place increased focus on mental health while highlighting your responsibility as citizens to protect persons affected by this disorder. This is indeed everybody’s business and so the involvement of all of us is essential to the success of the efforts of the Government to improve the lives of persons affected by Mental Health issues.

Hon. Rudyard Spencer OD, MP

Minister of Health