Mental health is not something that makes for easy conversation in most Barbadian circles. For some, a loved one’s mental illness - or even one’s own struggles - are a source of shame, to be swept under the carpet and hidden away from prying eyes.We have used all sorts of colloquial expressions to describe mental illness: ‘mad’, one ‘has the nerves’, ‘gone off’ or their ‘mind isn’t there.’ So with the dismissive shorthand often care shunning and ignorance.This stigma often drives away those who are struggling to cope. Many conceal symptoms, in an effort to blend into society or be seen as ‘normal’.There is little evidence to suggest we have evolved or matured to see mental illness no differently than physical ill-health, requiring compassionate care and effective treatment. Our psychiatric hospital remains hardly changed from its Victorian aspect when it was opened on the former Jenkinsville plantation in 1893. A full century later, Bajans still refer derisive
International Youth Day: A salute to the resilient and ambitious
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Psychologist recommends halfway house for runaways
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