Today I watched with horror at the way a man who appeared to be mentally ill was being treated by the “EMERGENCY SERVICES” in Dominica. It forced me to ponder and to pen this. This has been an issue of concern to me, after witnessing an incident which I will never forget. This is not by any means a news thing in Dominica, but from what I have been observing, I think it is getting worse.
I grew up being very much aware of the stigma attached to Mental health issues in Dominica. However, I do not believe it is so only in Dominica. No matter what the condition is, you are referred to a “homme fou”, or a “femme fawle”, and considered and treated as a reject of society! We need to talk honestly and sincerely about the issues of mental health to remove that stigma. This dialogue can save lives.
It was with sadness that I recall a past experience, I always think what if! Sometime ago, I wrote an article about depression and one prominent man in our Dominican society contacted me and thanked me for it. His son had just committed suicide when he was studying overseas, but he could come to terms with the fact that could have happened to his family. He was overcome with that feeling of guilt, but after reading my article, he understood and got some kind of solace from what I had written. He confessed that if only he knew? if only he understood what was happening to his son, he probably could have saved his life, if only he was privy to such a conversation before the fact?
I recall with horror an experience I had in my village of Laplaine where I witnessed a known mentally ill man brutally murdered in the presence of a large number of the villagers, and nothing happened. It was as if the police battalion who murdered him have just killed an animal. This experience left me traumatized and ashamed of my people.
What is even more baffling to me is that in 2019 not much has changed when it comes to the general attitude towards the mentally ill. They still kill them like animals. Up until recently we have hearing about some very disturbing stories concerning the treatment of the mentally ill. We must be cognizant of the fact that depression or any other form of mental is no respecter of persons; it can affect anyone at any time.
After the Maria experience there seems to be a noticeable increase in the number of people suffering from mental illness. After all, it was a very traumatic experience, and obviously much attention was not paid to the mental well being of the population. It is not my intention to point fingers, but to bring awareness to a taboo, and neglected subject!
Mental illness is referred to as the silent killer for a reason. The pain of depression or mentally illness cannot be noticed like the pain and or symptoms of cancer, high blood pressure of heart disease, it is only the sufferer who is aware of that pain.
Most people suffering from these illnesses prefer to suffer in silence than to confide in others even their loved ones, fearing that they may be stigmatized and or considered less of a person, or a weak person if the society finds out that they have such problems, and society does not make it easy for them.
Some societies like ours are very hostile and dangerous for people with mental illness. In some cases the health system is not adequately equipped to deal with the problem, or it is not considered a problem worth paying attention to, but it is. Neglect of that very serious situation can take a very heavy toll on the society, it can seriously affect human resource capacity and production.
Oftentimes some of the brightest individuals of a community are affected. As a matter of fact, studies show that the more intelligent and creative individuals are, the more likely they are to be depressed. This phenomenon has been attributed to the poor social networks and possible networking skills of highly intelligent and creative individuals. There are many people suffering from depression all over the world, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.
Dominica is no different, and more so after the traumatic experience of hurricane Maria. After major catastrophic events it is common practice to treat people for trauma associated with that event. Did that happen after hurricane maria in Dominica? Are we sitting on a ticking time bomb of untreated trauma?
Mental illness is not taboo! People who suffer from it go through hell silently. All they need is treatment and a support system that can help them to cope and live productive lives!
If you know of someone you think may be showing signs of depression or any other form of mental illness, the humane and responsible thing to do is offer support and get that person help, he or she is not just a “homme fou’ or a “femme fawle”, but a human being suffering with an illness that needs to be treated just like all other illnesses, the society will be better for it!
If you are aware that facilities and resources are not available, ask the people responsible for health to make them available because mental health is just as important as all other aspects of health! And for Heaven’s sake treat the mentally ill as human beings!