Do you pay attention to the state of your mind? We all can tend to get so lost in the humdrum of everyday existence that we neglect and suppress our mental state and emotions. To be honest, it is understandable. As descendants of slave and indentured labour, there is so much displacement and trauma within our history and familial genes. Many of us are content replaying learned and traditional behaviours that negatively impact our state of mind and attitude towards life. We have been taught to flippantly disregard mental illness as being “white people thing.” Accounts of depression and anxiety might be seen as regular stress that you just have to push through, while the elephant in the room continues to be ignored to our collective detriment.
We as a nation have been moving slowly in our approach towards tackling mental health. It used to be – and in many ways still is – a very taboo and under discussed topic. Most of the time I’ve seen the conversation on mental health arise, it has usually been in response to cases of suicides and murders. We are after all, a very reactive society. Once the news cycle moves on, we tend to lay down our concerns until the next suicide and double murder occurs. It is this passive approach that has seen the problem fester over the years. Paying attention not only to our own state of mind, but checking in on those closest to you can go a long way in helping to curb the feelings of isolation and angst that see’s our emotional and psychological wellbeing deteriorating. The power of community is often underestimated.
Stigma has kept many of us insular and ashamed to admit to someone or even ourselves that we may be suffering. Fear of being seen as crazy or possessed is very real in a small religious driven society like ours. What stigma effectively does is keep persons from getting better. There has been some progress as more and more persons are now openly discussing their mental disorders and their experiences with it. This of course is a positive step; it is putting names and faces to what we might otherwise see as statistics. A World Health Organization (WHO) and Ministry of Health Guyana collaborative report on Mental Health System in Guyana estimated that between 75, 000 to 112, 500 Guyanese suffer from mental disorders that require mental health care services. Of these, approximately 22, 500 to 37, 500 are estimated to suffer from severe mental illness. With a small population that stands under eight hundred thousand, this public health crisis affects a significant portion of our society and must be treated with more urgency.
As the conversation on mental health continues to move forward, emphasis must be placed on not only addressing it, but also normalizing the active seeking of professional help. A common misconception that many have is that mental health illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders etc. are things that can be overcome by sheer will, force and prayer. This is the furthest thing from the truth and all it tends to do is further isolate and shame the suffering party. The brain, much like any other organ in the human body is prone to malfunction. Much like how we have normalized going to the doctor for aches, pains and diseases, we must also normalize therapy and medication for mental illnesses. These things must not be seen as weak, but as a necessary part of managing our health.
Concerns over confidentiality have seen many persons reluctant to seek out help and that is a valid fear. I know of a few accounts where patient confidentiality was broken by the therapist. This of course is unfortunate and shows the amount of work that still needs to be done in the area, even with mental health care providers. It is important to find a therapist that you can trust and be open with concerning the issues in your life and trauma you might have experienced. Therapy is important in not only being able to have someone there to listen to you and guide you, but also important in analyzing your personality, developing healthy coping strategies, dealing with family dysfunction and overcoming fears.
There are a growing number of mental health care facilities and professionals, but these are still too few and predominantly central. The gaps in our system and the centralization of many of our nation’s trained psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors, see many persons still unable to access effective and affordable help. Private mental health professionals, with a few exceptions, are usually beyond the price range of the average citizen. Currently, mental health services are available predominantly on the coastal strip. The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and the National Psychiatric Hospital in New Amsterdam, Berbice are the two outpatient mental health facilities available in the country. Persons in remote and Indigenous communities however, often do not have access to these public services.
A combination of genetic, biological, psychological and environmental factors contribute to mental illness in persons. Mental illnesses are very common and do not have a particular type of person that can be affected by them. It is the often-unaddressed threat that spans across society regardless of sex, genders, race and class. Of course, those who live in poverty or are already marginalized due to gender and sexuality face disproportionately higher rates of mental illness. Their lack of access to available and effective services just leaves their unaddressed mental health issues to fester untreated. With appropriate care, often a combination of therapy and medication, persons can go on to lead healthy, normal lives.
Akola Thompson is a writer and social activist. You can send comments to