The Editor, Sir:

Having read the account of the man who jumped from the KPH, I can't help but wonder how many times people have turned to me for help, maybe not asking directly but the quietness of the obvious despair screamed to me, 'you need to intervene', and I get caught up in my own world of having so much (to do) that I fail to give a little (time) to those most in need.

We have a responsibility to be our brothers' keeper and should be constantly reminded, as the health workers will tell you, that we are not too far from the edge of mental illness.

Reverse psychology

That said, I was discussing the incident with a colleague and she remarked that in a training session she had attended, she was told that the best thing to tell suicidal persons who are threatening to jump is to jump.

I don't know if this is what the crowd on the ground had in mind when they told Wayne to jump. But if what my colleague says is true, I believe that anyone who would attempt such reverse psychology ought to be well trained to identify when such a tactic may be ill-advised.

Determining good health

The tragedy of what happened and the circumstances that led to that horrific day are a stark reminder to us all that 'there is no good health without good mental health'. Helping others and learning about their challenges can catapult us into the reality of how bad life can get and how much we have to share from the little that we think we have.

I am, etc.,

NADIA NUNES-HOWE

nadia.howe@srha.gov.jm