Mental illness is still a major taboo. Most of the time people are not comfortable speaking about it, especially when it affects themselves or someone close to them. According to the World Health Organisation, many people with mental illness refrain from seeking treatment because of the stigma associated with it. If you have asthma, it is perfectly normal and acceptable to take medication; just the same way you would do if you have high blood pressure or cholesterol. So why should it be such a stigma when you take medicine for your mind?
Mental health disorders affect millions of people throughout the world and have an effect on the lives of their loved ones. One in every four people will be affected by a mental health disorder at some time in their lives. Depression is among the most common illnesses in the world. Mental health disorders are not in any way a personal weakness or a flaw in character. Mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, can affect anyone at any time.
Last week Members of Parliament received a letter from someone who wants us decision makers to start discussing this subject more openly and bring about a desired improvement. I am reproducing parts of this letter:
“In the past couple of decades, the subject of mental health has been recognised as being just as important as physical... the taboo on mental health often means that there is not enough dialogue to combat this pervasive and insidious problem that causes the death of millions worldwide. The lack of dialogue about suicide and suffering that these illnesses bring about are causing the people who are affected further distress making their situation worse. It is even more worrying that people were comfortable enough to joke about it in carnival, but not brave enough to bring about difference and create discussions to improve the current situation.
On Sunday, February 4, a teenage boy with suicidal tendencies who was being cared for in Mount Carmel Hospital was found dead... his death is our responsibility ...his death is our fault, society's fault, for not taking action when there was still time. There are many like him around us, who could be leading better lives but are scared to speak up in fear of repercussions on their relationships and on the workplace... What options do we give to people suffering especially when you keep in mind the irreparable harm that the sufferer endures, sometimes even pushing them to commit suicide?
Individuals who have been to the institution have often spoken out about the abhorrent situation inside the mental care hospital. The same people have dared to speak up, asking for a solution; for a facility which helps patients and gives them adequate solutions and takes precautionary measures acceptable for the day and age we live in nowadays....”
This letter is inviting us all to think about this subject. Persons suffering from mental health disorders cannot leave their condition untreated. Just as someone who is physically sick needs treatment, patients with a mental disorder need treatment too. Signs may not be physically visible, but a person who is mentally ill could be suffering from within. Many try to keep going to work every day and continue to function in the most normal way possible. But these people are uneasy on the inside as they seek to convince themselves and those around them, that they are healthy.
A recent report by the Mental Health Commissioner, John Cachia, also highlighted that, despite an improvement in patient care, there is the need to improve safety at Mount Carmel, and to invest in more professional education.
Mental health should be better integrated into the health sector. The mainstay of treatment should be in the community, where the services of primary care and family doctors are supported by specialised facilities and services, and community rehabilitation. There should be more acute psychiatric care facilities at Mater Dei. Chronic patients, and patients who unfortunately are unable to return to the community after a rehabilitation process, need long-term care in dignified residential accommodation.
Recently, the Deputy Prime Minister, Chris Fearne, announced that his Ministry was working on a refurbishment programme for Mount Carmel Hospital. Whereas up till now, money for refurbishment works would have been around half a million euro per year, this is being increased to six million. Some sections of Mount Carmel have been not touched in any way for 115 years. The plan is that by 2023 Mount Carmel should be on a par with Mater Dei. The Minister announced that the Government is also working, together with Queen Mary and Bart’s, on a ten-year strategy for the health sector, in which mental health is going to be prominent. It will include having an acute mental health hospital near Mater Dei.
Christabelle just won the Malta Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Taboo'. The song deals with mental illness and encourages people, who suffer from some type of mental health illness, to seek help and not to get discouraged. There are people who are ready to hear them and help them. We should all embrace the message sung by Christabelle and start breaking the taboo by accepting that being mentally ill is normal, and there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Alex Muscat is Labour MP