Mental Health Is A Universal Human Right

“Our ambition must be to transform mental health services, not just in their reach, but in their underlying values, so that they are truly responsive to the needs and dignity of the individual.” – Volker Turk- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It appears that the entire world is undergoing stress in one form or another. Perhaps, it is the signs of the times or the price we pay for modernity. There are wars and rumours of wars everywhere. Globally, we have seen the displacements of individuals as a result of wars. The lockdown associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have also impacted the mental health of many. The discussion surrounding mental health has become quite popular in recent times. Many of us have experienced mood swings; yet, access to mental health services continues to be problematic in many societies. Truth be told, we are all struggling or trying to cope with our own mental health issues. Recently, one of my grade 13 students purportedly committed suicide. I spoke with the youngster just two days before this horrible incident. He was only seventeen years. The EdWeek survey results also show how worsening student mental health can contribute to chronic absenteeism, a major challenge schools are dealing with that presents a barrier to students’ academic success. A quarter of the students who responded to the survey said they were absent for a week or more in the past year. At seventeen one should be planning ahead for his/her life. Yet, we never know the struggles each person has to endure. Additionally, males do not readily speak about their mental health issues. Contrastingly, it has become rather acceptable for females to disclose their mental health issues without being judged. Regrettably, in some spaces men who do are viewed as weak. Good mental health skills must be acquired over one’s lifetime. Unfortunately, mental health literacy is not a priority for the education system. Mental health literacy was first introduced in 1997, and it was defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention. The stigma and discrimination concerning mental health prevent a significant number of individuals from seeking mental health support. Unfortunately, many students are victims of bullying and other forms of discriminatory practices in our schools that oftentimes lead to mental health problems. Mental health literacy is the genesis for the prevention, promotion and for better outcomes with mental health care. As a result governments worldwide must invest more in mental health literacy in order to empower its citizenry. World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October annually, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. This year’s theme is 'Mental health is a universal human right”. Mental health is a fundamental human right for all people. Everyone, regardless of gender, nationality, sexual orientation has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risks, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community. The World Health Organization (WHO) adds, that good mental health is vital to our overall health and well-being. Yet one in eight people globally are living with mental health conditions, which can impact their physical health, their well-being, how they connect with others, and their livelihoods. Mental health conditions are also affecting an increasing number of adolescents and young people. Having a mental health condition should never be a reason to deprive a person of their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health. Nevertheless all over the world, people with mental health conditions continue to experience a wide range of human rights violations. Many are excluded from community and family life and discriminated against, while many more cannot access the mental health care they need or can only access care that violates their human rights. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), countries must promote regulatory and normative initiatives to support mental health as a fundamental human right, while at the same time limiting practices that favor human rights violations. This includes the establishment of mental health laws that respect the principles of international human rights instruments, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). However, regional estimates show that just over 60% of 39 countries have a stand-alone mental health law, and nearly half of 37 countries either lack a dedicated authority to assess compliance with international human rights instruments, or the one that exists is not functioning. PAHO remains committed to working alongside countries, providing technical support to develop mental health legislation that complies with international conventions and advocating for the rights of every individual, beyond borders and inequalities. Concepts in Mental Health. There is a tendency to diagnose mental health conditions ourselves. However, the diagnosis of a mental disorder can only be made by a medical practitioner. Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right and is closely associated to personal, community and socio-economic development. Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. It exists on a complex continuum, which is experienced differently from one person to the next, with varying degrees of difficulty and distress and potentially very different social and clinical outcomes. Mental health conditions include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm. People with mental health conditions are more likely to experience lower levels of mental well-being, but this is not always or necessarily the case. Determinants of Mental Health. Throughout our lives, multiple individual, social and structural determinants may combine to protect or undermine our mental health and shift our position on the mental health continuum. Individual psychological and biological factors such as emotional skills, substance use and genetics can make people more vulnerable to mental health problems. Exposure to unfavourable social, economic, geopolitical and environmental circumstances – including poverty, violence, inequality and environmental deprivation – also increases people’s risk of experiencing mental health conditions. Risks can manifest themselves at all stages of life, but those that occur during developmentally sensitive periods, especially early childhood, are particularly detrimental. For example, harsh parenting and physical punishment is known to undermine child health and bullying is a leading risk factor for mental health conditions. Protective factors similarly occur throughout our lives and serve to strengthen resilience. They include our individual social and emotional skills and attributes as well as positive social interactions, quality education, decent work, safe neighbourhoods and community cohesion, among others. Mental health risks and protective factors can be found in society at different scales. Local threats heighten risk for individuals, families and communities. Global threats heighten risk for whole populations and include economic downturns, disease outbreaks, humanitarian emergencies and forced displacement and the growing climate crisis. Each single risk and protective factor has only limited predictive strength. Most people do not develop a mental health condition despite exposure to a risk factor and many people with no known risk factor still develop a mental health condition. Nonetheless, the interacting determinants of mental health serve to enhance or undermine mental health. Mental Health Care and Treatment. Mental health is a significant issue in Jamaica, with high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. The World Health Organization estimates that 20 per cent of the Jamaican population suffers from some form of mental health issue. The Jamaican mental healthcare system is under-funded and under-resourced with few psychiatrists, psychologists, or social workers. A World Health Organization (WHO) report indicates that there is only around one psychiatrist per 100,000 people in Jamaica; by contrast, in the U.S., there are 13 psychiatrists per 100,000. This report indicates that there are even fewer occupational therapists, social workers, and psychologists in Jamaica, meaning that psychosocial care for people with mental illness is often lacking. Moreover, there is only one mental hospital in the whole country, with few services in rural areas. All this means that many Jamaicans with mental illness remain untreated. Data released by the government showed that more Jamaicans are committing suicide. The 2022 Economic and Social Survey in Jamaica revealed that 64 suicides were recorded in 2022, a 26 per cent increase over the 51 cases documented in 2021. However, the country's rate of just over two per 100,000 of the population remains well below the global average of 9.2 per 100,000. Sweden, Germany and Finland are the highest ranking nations in the world for mental health. Finland offers an online therapy service, Mental Health Hub that assists patients with depression, alcohol misuse and a wide range of anxiety disorders. The nationwide online portal is funded by the government and the hospital district in Helsinki. On this World Mental Health Day let us commit ourselves to be more caring and to treat everyone with respect and dignity. There is no shame in speaking with a mental health care provider. In fact we all should be advocates for mental health awareness in the spaces we share. Governments should be encouraged to invest more into mental health services especially for those in rural areas. In the context of national efforts to strengthen mental health, it is vital to not only protect and promote the mental well-being of all, but also to address the needs of people with mental health conditions. It is unacceptable that as a society there are so many individuals with mental health conditions living on the streets. It is clear that more resources should be invested in community-based mental health care, which is more accessible and acceptable than institutional care. Our churches too can serve as conduits to assist in providing basic mental health services. Additionally, the society needs to reenergize those non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work in the area of mental health. Should you feel overwhelmed or stressed, please speak to someone. Our mental health matters. In the words of Noam Shpancer, mental health is not a destination but a process. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #WorldMentalHealthDay