Ree-Anna Robinson | Mental health in a polycrisis

People in Jamaica are facing several concurrent challenges, including: a high cost of living, a pending global recession, rising tensions within our region, crime and violence, as well as successive devastating natural disasters.

This context reflects compounding, interlinked crises – a polycrisis, which is the occurrence of several simultaneous catastrophic events. The factors not only occur simultaneously but also interact with each other, amplifying their individual impact. This creates a consistent environment of stress, making it more difficult to realise our abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to our communities, factors, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), that define a state of mental wellness.

This reality is made worse as we continue to grapple with the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Melissa. For many, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress have formed a part of their daily lives. This has been acknowledged by Christopher Tufton, minister of health and wellness, as he noted in a 2025 press conference that a long-term mental health response is critical for affected areas. However, with five months to the start of the next hurricane season, the stance is the same: Jamaicans need more for mental health.

CURRENT STATE

These crises have steadily worsened over the years, particularly since the fallout resulting from the COVID-19 virus, and have arguably taken a demonstrable toll on the mental health of Jamaicans. In 2024, Jamaica faced what was dubbed a 23-year - suicide rate, with 67 reported deaths, with men accounting for 91 per cent of the victims. While the overall figures trended downward for 2025, the cry for help was loud, with several cases that shocked the country’s conscience. This did not occur in a vacuum. This was all while experiencing simultaneous challenges.

Moreover, mental health in Jamaica is heavily stigmatised, rooted in a lack of knowledge and understanding of what it is and how it impacts each of us as a shared experience. Many public-health officials have spoken out about breaking the stigma, including Christopher Tufton and Suzette Buchanan, chief executive officer of Bellevue Hospital. While important, this has proven to be inadequate as we grapple with the far-reaching effects of this crisis and recognise the factors that are fuelling the fire.

This mental-health crisis is amplified by unprecedented times, but we have repeatedly failed to respond accordingly. The consequences are most visible among our youth, who are the generation most profoundly entangled in this crisis. While older generations may view these economic, environmental, and political shocks as temporary disruptions, for young Jamaicans, this is the only landscape we have ever known – from which we are expected to build the Jamaica of tomorrow.

We are not passive spectators of the crisis. We are its primary navigators, attempting to ground ourselves in a world lacking adequate systems to support us. Despite this, we are often the ones at the forefront demanding change.

WHAT NEXT

First, the Mental Health Act continues to address only how citizens living with acute mental illnesses interact with the public-health system and fails to define the term mental health adequately. Moreover, promises for amendments by Minister Tufton, dating back to 2019, have remained unfulfilled to date, with no public debate, discussion, or even a joint select committee established to discuss and address these amendments.

Second, there is a strong need for a Mental Health Policy, steered by youth, which guides how schools, public offices, workplaces, businesses, and rehabilitation centres consider the mental health of those who regularly occupy these spaces. This is not a simple recommendation. It is a necessity and should not be treated as a matter of tokenism. Youth uniquely possess the ‘crisis-intelligence’ needed to design the Jamaica of the future from our own lived experiences. A policy that is not youth-led will inevitably fail to satisfy the needs of the demographic it most needs to protect.

Additionally, according to a desk review on Child and Adolescent Mental Health done by UNICEF in 2023, only 30 per cent of the staff needed are employed at child guidance clinics and for overall child and adolescent mental health across the island. This is compounded by the fact that there are only three child psychologists within the public-health system. Further, there is a known need for more personnel to operate the Ministry of Health and Wellness’s suicide prevention hotline, 888-new-life (638-5433), as calls continue to increase. This highlights a need for greater prioritisation of employment within the sector.

The National Health Fund (NHF) has been a long-standing pillar in the public’s access to the treatment of chronic illnesses, and in recent years, we have seen several reviews of the list of illnesses covered. However, those living with mental illness have continued to be underserved, where only medications for major depression, psychosis, and recently, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are available. This leaves those with illnesses like anxiety disorders overlooked, without NHF coverage. We need a system that proactively covers the full known spectrum of mental wellness.

Dr Tufton has made calls for 2026 to be the ‘Year of Mental Wellness’, Jamaicans would significantly benefit from a comprehensive national campaign. The message must be clear – end the stigma and break the silence. Showcase to Jamaicans that we all have the responsibility to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We must emphasise the need for conversations surrounding good mental health to start from as early as infancy and continue throughout primary and secondary schooling.

Jamaicans are not ‘all right’. Our new normal is a state of polycrisis that requires more than isolated tweets and intermittent speaking engagements. We need investment and action with urgency, intention, and consistency.

Ree-Anna Robinson is a youth advocate and member of the UN-EU Youth Advisory Group. Send feedback to reeannarenne1@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com