Remarks By Hon Wendy C. Phipps, Minister of State with Responsibility for Health, Social Services, Community Development & Gender Affairs ~~
Fellow Citizens and Residents of St. Kitts and Nevis:
I take pleasure in addressing our Nation as we observe Mental Health Awareness Week 2015, from October 4-10, 2015, and also commemorate World Mental Health Day on Saturday, October 10, 2015 with the World Health Organisation (WHO). This year’s observance of World Mental Health Day is being executed under the theme “Dignity in Mental Health”.
Occasions such as these which shine the spotlight on the issues of mental health and mental illness are opportunities for us, as a United Nations (UN) Member State, to show the world that we acknowledge that mental health matters are real, that we care, and that such concerns must be addressed in a holistic manner that brings cure and treatment for those persons so affected. As a result, the St. Kitts Mental Health Association has planned a series of activities this week that will give prominence to mental health matters.
These activities include:
• A church service at the Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, held on Sunday, October 4, 2015;
• Appearances on radio stations in an effort to sensitize the public to mental health matters;
• Treats for patients at both the Psychiatric Ward of the JN France General Hospital and various Mental Health Clinics around the island, on Wednesday, October 6, 2015; and
• Operation of an Information Desk at Independence Square during the St. Kitts Teachers’ Union’s activities to be held on Friday, October 9, 2015.
As we take the time to ponder the realities of mental illness, it would be useful for us to realise the following facts:
1) Overall health is defined by the World Health Organisation as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”1. When there is imbalance in this equation, ill health can result.
2) Mental health, by extension, can be defined as “a state of well-being whereby individuals realise their abilities, and are able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to their communities.”2
3) Mental illness can happen to anyone, as the condition transcends gender, social and employment status, age, geographic location, income level, and religious affiliation.
4) Approximately one (1) out of every four (4) persons in the world – or 25% of the world’s population - has or has had a mental or neurological disorder at some point in their lives.
5) About 450 million people currently suffer from mental or behavioural disorders, thereby placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide.
6) At least 1 million people worldwide commit suicide as a result of a mental disorder.
7) There are serious inter-linkages between mental, physical and social health and, as a result, mental health impacts not only the individual, but families, communities, and entire countries.
8) Depression is a form of mental illness that affects one’s mood, much in the same way that bipolar disorder does; and
9) Some mental disorders can be prevented, and prevention, cure and treatment are relatively affordable.
The WHO contends that the global response to mental disorders needs to be ratcheted up, and that this can be achieved through progressive and informed government policy and legislation; meaningful support from civil society; and the move towards community–based health care that integrates mental health care into primary health care. It is for this reason that our Federation has a strong history of treating mental health disorders at the level of the community health centres, with the psychiatric wing of our main hospital being reserved for more serious cases.
It should be noted that apart from these initiatives, the Federal Government also takes its commitment to mental health care and treatment rather seriously, given its most recent investment in the Mental Health Day Treatment Centre that is now under construction at Lime Kiln, Basseterre. It is expected that this centre will approach treatment of affected clients from the standpoint of drug intervention, personal care and hygiene, occupational therapy and skill development, among other matters.
As Mental Health Awareness Week is celebrated this week in our Federation, the St. Kitts Mental Health Association is mindful of the challenges that abound for both persons living with mental illness and their primary care-givers who are, for the most part, family members and close friends. In keeping with the theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day, that is: “Dignity in Mental Health”, the SKMHA is particularly concerned about the threats to persons living with mental illnesses.
Their concerns include the following:
- Persons who are mentally ill are often abused, even by persons who care for them. The abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual or financial.
- Persons with mental disorders generally have limited involvement in the planning of their day-to-day lives and community engagement;
- Stigma and discrimination continue to be the lot of many persons suffering from mental disorders, thereby illustrating the need for our people to become more sensitive to the special needs of such patients. There is also an urgent need to overcome ignorance of mental illness by educating ourselves on the realities of the disorder. We must endeavour to discourage shame of those who are mentally ill in our communities. Name-calling, jeering, pointing and excluding such persons from our lives is totally unacceptable.
- That there is sometimes a failure to recognise that, as citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis, we are fortunate to have the benefit of easy access to health care and mental health care through both private and public mental health practitioners.
- That there is need to better appreciate the challenges that abound when supporting someone with mental illness, whether that person is a spouse, significant other, a child, friend or co-worker.
- Persons with mental illness are often afraid to speak up for themselves, to know and assert their rights, and to actively participate in their communities.
It should be noted that basically all of the concerns outlined by the SKMHA are addressed in the Mental Health Act of 2002, a piece of legislation with which the average citizen should become familiar.
On behalf of the Federal Government, I am pleased to convey best wishes to the St. Kitts Mental Health Association as Mental Health Awareness Week and World Mental Health Day are observed in our Nation this week. I am also honoured and privileged to officially declare open this important week of activities.
May God bless us all, and may we endeavour to live healthy and productive lives in this Country of ours.
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