Matters have greatly improved over the years with regard to the way victims of mental illness are treated, but there is still so much that can be done to first of all eradicate the stigma that still surrounds these people, and secondly to give them even better treatment in the hope of reintegrating them completely into society.

The Richmond Foundation CEO, Dolores Gauci, made things very clear in an interview she gave to The Malta Independent, which was published last Monday. Statistics are not kept properly, mental health is not given as much importance as physical conditions such as diabetes and, last but not least, the Mental Health Act is 32 years old and needs to be brought in line with all the developments that have taken place since then.

In the interview, Ms Gauci said that “no family can say that at one point or another it did not come in contact with someone who is experiencing health problems, be it a family member, a friend or a neighbour”.

In fact, it is believed that one in every four people has suffered or will suffer some form of mental illness during the course of his or her life. Of course, in the majority of cases such mental illnesses can be treated and, unless told, people living or working with the “patient” will not realise. It is only in extreme cases that patients need to be taken to hospital for specialised cure.

The phrase “unless told” is used specifically here. Most people who are undergoing treatment for minor cases of mental illness do not feel comfortable enough to speak up about their condition, simply because they will be made fool of, will start to experience different treatment from their colleagues and relatives, and sometimes have problems with their employer too. Others do not seek help even though they know they need it for fear that their mental condition somehow becomes known to others.

And this is where society must improve the way it treats people who have mental problems. As said earlier, we have moved on from the times when mentally-ill people used to be locked up in basements; but we have not moved on enough to consider a mental condition just like any other ailment.

People who have asthma, diabetes and other illnesses, even those that may be terminal, seem to be better understood than people who admit to having a mental problem and are taking pills to control it.

Any evolution in society – such as the ones concerning mental health – takes long to materialise because it is hard to change a mentality. But there are other things that can be done to make things better and help speed up this change in mentality.

The Mental Care Act, for one thing, should be updated. The government has a long list of laws that it wants to implement, but this should not be an excuse to continue putting this legislation on the back burner. A mental health reform was launched in 1995, but 13 years down the line no new law has been enacted to replace the one drawn up in 1976.

Statistics with regard to suicides should also be kept properly – Ms Gauci said that often suicides are not reported as such and that another reason is given as the cause of the death – and a strategy put in place to find out common trends leading to suicide, possibly finding a way to try to reduce the suicide rate.

It is a pity that, in this day and age, we do not give the same importance to mental health as we give to physical health. At a time when more and more people are experiencing mental problems – and perhaps do not even know about it – society must show that it is there to show solidarity and offer the best possible therapy, while at the same time treating mental problems like any other physical condition.