#BTColumn – At the end of the line

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Monique Lavine-Hinds

“Call 429-9999

We don’t need your name,

We don’t ask you for anything,

We just want to help.

In the evenings between 8 and 11,

We’ll be there At the end of the line, there’s always, The Samaritans.”

For the last few days, this jingle has been playing over and over in my mind. Many of you might not remember it, but it was a staple, playing almost every night, especially around the time of the 7 p.m. news.

Back then, it was just a catchy jingle for me to sing along to. I never really understood the significance of The Samaritans, of having someone to call in a moment of crisis.

But the last few months have shown us how important a service like the “The Samaritans” is as persons grapple to deal with lack of socialisation, unemployment, and uncertainty in the current climate.

Only a few weeks ago someone in my neighbourhood committed suicide, someone who was close to my age, and I actually got a few calls asking if I was okay and I totally understand why. It seems we can never be too sure that the people around us are okay.

When we hear that someone has committed suicide one of the first questions, we ask ourselves is “Why?”, followed by statements like, “If I had known”, “He seemed perfectly fine” or “I wished she had told me something was wrong.” We reflect on each interaction searching for signs that we may have missed, hurt because we weren’t fully aware of what those signs meant.

Reflecting on this jingle and the tragic death in my neighbourhood, made me pause and question, “If I had a Mental Health crisis where do I call for help and why do some persons hesitate to seek support?”

Recently, we have been flooded with the terms Mental health and Mental wellness and there has been a drive to highlight the importance of good mental health to prevent feelings that lead to self-harm and suicide. But really what is Mental Health? The World Health Organisation (WHO) conceptualises mental health as a “state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. That’s quite a lot.

Even that itself feels a little weighted.
• Realizes his or her own abilities – that is a kicker, especially for persons whose livelihoods depend on sectors that have been severely affected for almost two years, making it difficult for the majority of persons to realise the full potential of their talents and abilities.

• Can cope with the normal stresses of life – What are the normal stressors of life? If you look it up, you’ll find stressors like finances, relationships, jobs, friends, but not one reference included the word pandemic.
Persons who were struggling before, now find themselves in situations where they do not even have the coping mechanisms to rely on.

• Can work productively and fruitfully – if productively includes numerous conference calls, zoom meetings, online classes with little socialization among colleagues, classmates, and friends, then most of us have made it.

• Finally, find a way to make a contribution to his or her community. Truthfully, just being able to accomplish just one of these tasks is a contribution and making it through to the end of the day is a huge accomplishment.

People are struggling, and are finding it very difficult to thrive, but if there is a public health system that can support you during your mental health crises, why isn’t this leading to a healthier more productive society? Maybe it’s more than just having resources, being able to afford a therapist or knowing that there is a public system that you can turn to.

Maybe just using the word “Mental” to describe emotional health and wellness, especially in Barbados and the Caribbean, acts as a deterrent.

Preventing persons from talking to a friend, making a call to an organisation like The Samaritans, or seeking professional help. Before it was referred to as the Psychiatric Hospital, it was the Insane/Mental Asylum, then Mental Hospital.

In Barbados, we talked about it as “He’s gone to the Mental, or she’s mental, or if you don’t behave, I will send you to the Mental”.

It was a place where you were sent to keep others safe because you were the problem. There was and still is a stigma associated with the word Mental.

Words have the power to influence the way persons see themselves and interact with others. Just a few months ago, we were being told to “Social Distance” then the experts realised, we still need people to be social and find ways to interact with each other, and now, the emphasis is on “Physical Distancing”.

By just changing the word social to physical gave persons a better understanding of what was expected of them.

While we have accepted the terms Mental Health/Mental Wellness, to describe a state of well-being, we should also reflect and realize that word “Mental” creates a barrier for some persons to freely come forward and that we should find ways to address this in our awareness campaigns.

If you or a loved one is experiencing trouble with drug addiction, alcoholism, or mental health, don’t hesitate to call the Psychiatric Assessment Unit at 536-3091.

Monique Lavine-Hinds holds a BA in Psychology, MSc in Healthcare Management (Honours) and is passionate about people and healthcare in the region. She can be contacted at healthcarethatcares246@gmail.com