Dear Hon Terrence Deyalsingh, MP.
Greetings.
I am certain you have a colossal task before you as Minister of Health. I’m confident you’d do your best to impact significantly your wounded inheritance as you “conscientiously and impartially discharge (your) responsibilities to the people of T&T.”
Don’t expect any dramatic lobby for the cause of mental health and psychosocial disabilities as obtains currently for gender or the environment, because mental health/illness/wellness, though affecting one in four of us, is still a subject with a small voice, not yet creating imposing influence on any agenda. But do not disregard how important this matter is for us.
In three weeks you’d be expected to speak on World Mental Health Day. The theme for 2015 is Dignity in mental health. As it stands now, the lack of dignity for my com-munity is a burden I bear, mostly without support.
When I was young, the “sys-tem” was non-existent; I’m approaching old and the “thing” is fledgling, so my mission now is to work as much as I can so I can live and die with some measure of dignity—that equality that God and the United Nations promised those like me.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Mental health action plan 2013-2020, has as its vision, “a world in which mental health is valued, promoted and protected,(where) mental disorders are pre-vented and people affected by these disorders are able to exercise the full range of human rights and to access high quality, culturally appropriate health and social care in a timely way to promote recovery, in order to attain the highest possible level of health and participate fully in society and at work, free from stigmatisation and dis-crimination.”
It’s a mouthful, but rest assured, in T&T we have not as yet reached the basic dignity of mental health being valued, so that as all other considerations are for your health legacy.
The WHO publication Investing in mental health (2003) says:
“Mental health has been hidden behind a curtain of stigma and discrimination for too long. It is time to bring it out into the open. The magnitude, suffering and bur-den in terms of disability and costs for individuals, families and societies are staggering.
In the last few years, the world has become more aware of this enormous burden and the potential for mental health gains…
“We need to enhance our investment in mental health substantially and we need to do it now. Investment of financial and human resources. A higher proportion of national budgets (take note) should be allocated to developing adequate infrastructure and services for mental health. At the same time, more human resources are needed to provide care for those with mental dis-orders and to protect and promote mental health.”
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Convention expects States Par-ties to “ensure and promote the full realisation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities without discrimination of any kind on the basis of disability. To this end, States Parties (you, on behalf of T&T) undertake:
To adopt all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognized in the present Convention;
To take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities;
To take into account the protection and promotion of the human rights of persons with disabilities in all policies and programmes;
To take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability by any person, organisation or private enterprise.
Under Health system resources and responses, the WHO Mental Health Plan says, “Health systems have not yet adequately responded to the burden of mental disorders; as a consequence, the gap between the need for treatment and its provision is large all over the world. Between 76 and 85 per cent of people with severe mental disorders receive no treatment for their disorder in low-income and middle-income countries…
“A further compounding problem is the poor quality of care for those receiving treatment… Globally, for instance, annual spending on mental health is less than US$2 per person and less than US$0.25 per person in low-income countries.”
The goal of this action plan, “is to promote mental well-being, prevent mental disorders, provide care, enhance recovery, promote human rights and reduce the mortality, morbidity and disability for persons with mental dis-orders.”
T&T needs to accept we now have nothing. You must consider a comprehensive overview of mental health, establishing a commission of stake-holders to bring us from behind the zero. In the spirit of volunteerism, I pledge to serve. I hope you’d afford me that opportunity.
Regards.
Caroline C Ravello is a strategic communications and media practitioner with more than 30 years of proficiency. She holds an MA in Mass Communications and is pursuing the MSc in Public Health from UWI. She has been living/thriving with mental health issues for more than 35 years. Write to: mindful.tt@gmail.com