Mental illness and its stigma

Feb 13, 2010 Editorial

We Guyanese are not very subtle (and certainly not very kind) when we speak of the unfortunate souls who, afflicted with one or another mental shortcoming, live in our midst. “Mad people” is about the kindest designation that is invoked and hurled at them. The State mental institution located in Canje, Berbice, has always been known as “The Berbice Mad House”.
The rest of the world has recognised the insidious consequences of a belittling name and have chosen the title, “mentally challenged” for these individuals. We believe this simple act of naming should be the beginning of an effort on the part of all of us to deal with a problem, which by all accounts, has gotten out of control.
In the last decade or so, the population of individuals who are mentally challenged have grown by leaps and bounds – if we are to go by the burgeoning numbers that can be seen roaming our streets. Most of the reports on this phenomenon focus on the state of affairs in Georgetown but the problem is nationwide. Every rural village has its share of the mentally challenged who inhabit the public space and in too many instances are abused in myriad ways.
One would have thought that by now the authorities would have revisited its rules for dealing with this group in a structured manner. Just a week ago a mentally ill man was placed in a crowded prison dormitory where he killed a fellow inmate and ended up being killed by the other inmates.
Some years ago we were informed that the regulations for institutionalising the mentally challenged had been loosened radically, resulting in the influx into our streets. Another factor during the same time period has been the increased use of hard drugs, which have a deleterious effect on the mental faculties of the habitual users.
The change that has had the greatest impact, however, has been the gradual shift in the mores of our population as to their responsibilities towards relatives who are mentally challenged. Up to the seventies the family was expected to take care of their own and state institutionalisation was seen as an extreme last resort – and considered as a failure of the family.
Today the loosening of the Guyanese family structure has forced many of even the borderline cases into the streets. The state certainly has an interest in seeking to help these unfortunate souls to live a life that is integrated more positively with their fellow citizens. As it is, the average citizens skirt very warily around the mentally challenged who inhabit our streets – especially after the newspapers highlight the occasional acts of violence that a small minority resort to.
Most of the mentally challenged persons are more of a threat to themselves than others. It would be an interesting statistic, for instance, if we could be informed of the number of the mentally challenged who are the victims of accidents, rapes, beatings and other atrocities in comparison to those they inflict on others.
A mark of our humanity is how we treat our less fortunate. If life in Guyana has proven to be so challenging to those of us with all our faculties intact, imagine what it must be like to those who are mentally challenged: they are certainly our most unfortunate.
This problem must be dealt with in a coherent and structured manner by the relevant authorities.
Let us begin with a study that informs us of the magnitude of the problem. We are certain that it will qualify as a public health emergency. The phenomenon of mental health is not a new one and various intervention strategies have been attempted across the globe. We are sure that our public health officials, in collaboration with our social services personnel can craft an initial intervention programme suitable to our circumstances. The programme would then be monitored and amended as necessary.
Funding cannot be a constraining factor. We are positive that funds can be sourced to help the mental health of some of our citizens who live in the most oppressive, depressing and disgraceful conditions.

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Mental illness and its stigma

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