For most of my life in T&T, I have lived in relative safety from what are considered catastrophes or emergencies. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is the only reference that I have to any emergency requiring humanitarian aid and intervention. It is this that has opened my mind to some of what people the world over may experience in crisis.
Even so, my experience remains limited because this was an infectious disease that did not involve loss of built and natural environment and displacement of people, as in wars, natural and man-made disasters.
The pandemic brought that fear of the unknown, a hopelessness that enveloped us under threat from an unseen and lethal enemy, and harrowing thoughts of the length of the crisis as we and the world were locked away while scientists and governments grappled for interventions. Thankfully, solutions came.
That was not before the loss of millions of lives, a held grief that remains like a murky cloud hovering, globally heard in the recounting by people carrying the sorrow for those lost to this infectious disease.
In that time, mental health and coping with mental illnesses evolved as a leading discourse. As the anxiety of the situation gripped the hearts and minds of people globally, as negative issues associated with isolation persisted, as people lost freedom of movement, jobs and ability to earn and many liberties, the matter of people maintaining a sound mind became urgent.
We all witnessed the floundering because of unpreparedness and lack of access to appropriate interventions and solutions. We all observed the heightened demand for mental health to become a forefront issue. But only for a while, because as the world returned to its normal routines, the conversations returned to being muted.
To our credit, though, we have managed at least to raise some global awareness, and those of us who have long carried the issue have also seen more voices raised to advocate. But greater advocacy is only one part of the solution. The greater need, in my experience, is the availability of and easy access to services, and the normalisation of the use of these services.
One exasperation for me is how many people begin their advocacy as new discoveries. Commonly posited is the suggestion that “no one is doing anything about mental health.” And given the extent of the demand versus what is offered/available, this could be a common misperception, but such thinking does not promote continuity or build on the work deposited over time.
Decades ago, when I began self-advocating, it felt like I was speaking in a void, a chasm that ate up all my efforts, but I have lived to see the improvement in the discourse. As recently as the beginning of this column just over a decade ago, people were still averse to the openness with which my work approached the subject and continues to promote.
The pandemic would be credited with the largest push to get people to understand that these issues impact everyone. Mental illnesses are no “respecters of persons.” No social status, prestige, gender, race, financial standing, or the like is protected from the ill health of the mind.
Everyone is susceptible. Everyone has mental health and like physical health, at any time, given the triggers, anyone may have periods of mental illness or disorder – short-term or long-term. And everyone may experience recovery based on their circumstances and the timeliness of the necessary interventions.
Many services have evolved for specific populations post-pandemic. Outreaches for children, teens/young adults, men, women, some focused on depression, anxiety, substance misuse, domestic violence, to list a few, and with access to online resources, the latter also improved by the pandemic. Directories of services are now available to provide signposts to interventions.
What we still lack as a country is a sustained and deliberate campaign to deal with stigma and discrimination evident in our population.
The battle against prejudices that exist in our systems and in the hearts and minds of the people with whom we must interact – families, friends, relatives, churches and other places of worship, healthcare providers, peers, employers, coworkers, et al, will not be won unless the State deems this campaign necessary to our progress and specifically targets the issue.
There is evidence globally that where national campaigns have been carried out, populations have become more open to seeking interventions and doing so early. A major benefit from such campaigns is improved awareness and understanding, which promotes greater compassion and empathy for those who struggle.
As we approach the observance of World Mental Health Day (October 10), the 2025 theme “Access to Services- Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies” may not seem as relevant because we live in a peaceful jurisdiction. But the grief of inadequate and unaffordable services and not having appropriate solutions to deal with day-to-day mental health issues should not be discounted. People need easy and affordable access to mental health support to cope with the stresses of life and to recover and heal where mental illness is present.
