DESPITE its prevalence throughout the years, the stigma concerning mental health has hardly diminished. What this does is further alienate the mentally ill and stops them from seeking treatment and instead cause them to suffer in silence. What this silence essentially does however, is further paint mental illness as something that should be kept under wraps, rather than be addressed.

We see them as dangerous and unstable and it does not help that the most common instances we see is of the mentally ill on the streets or of those who commit atrocities against others. But mental illness is multifaceted and often the signs are almost indistinguishable from what we might consider to be normal. Even moreso, if the person has learnt how to mask his/her illness as is seen with numbers of those suffering from depression.

One of the problems we have is the reactionary way in which we try to fight certain social ills, particularly the campaigns against suicide and the de-stigmatisation of mental health. This is particularly seen in the government and public sector where lofty proclamations about their plans to address mental health are made, but are never followed through on or only make temporary appearances before disappearing once again into non-existence. We cannot continue with the same pattern of only upping the ante when there is an increase in certain cases and falling back into sporadic campaigns and outreaches. If one is truly serious about diminishing and eradicating mental illness and its stigmatisation, then what we need to aim for is sustainability and precise targeting. We need to target specific demographic/s, because by trying to get the information to the general public, our messages often become too diluted.

One thing we do not necessarily always pay attention to when we think about suicide is the phenomena of suicide clusters or copycat behaviour that can largely be influenced by the way in which suicide is portrayed in the media. The romanticising in the media, of persons who complete suicide or the amount of attention given to one that may be particularly sensational can be extremely dangerous to those who may have suicidal thoughts or feelings. Many are of the opinion that we should stop reporting on suicides to avoid this exact thing, but I do not believe that is the way to approach the problem. When these tragic instances occur, I believe they present us with an opportunity to talk seriously about suicide, what are its implications and the ways in which we as individuals and as a collective society can learn warning signs so as to effectively reach out to those who are suicidal. It presents us with an opportunity to reach out to those who may feel as though that is their way out, to let them know that there are options and they can get help.

There is tremendous work being done by Non-Governmental Organisations, faith-based organisations and the private and public sectors; and it seems that they have been having a positive impact as the World Health Organisation (WHO) now lists Guyana as having the fourth highest suicide rate in the world. While this means that Guyana is no longer the suicide capital of the world, it shows that we still have remarkable work to do and our efforts in its prevention and in other mental health issues should be sustained.

Several factors are at play in the lax struggle against mental illness. These factors range from political unwillingness to a culture of self-reliance and stigma; and it will take several interrelated factors to help hasten the process of tightening the struggle against mental illness. In our fight against mental illness, we all need to realise that we are essential in its de-stigmatisation and ensuring that the mentally ill get the appropriate help and support needed. Our attitudes towards mental illness need to be analyzed and we should challenge ourselves to be more open and empathetic in the way we address and treat the mentally ill.