The DVD rental shop woman, who every time I drop by, savagely defends her belief that The Exorcist belongs in the comedy section (right next to the cans of cheap Polpa - that is village life for you), seems to have rented out the last episode of Prison Break - Season 1 (Season 2 veterans please refrain from cock-a-doodling) on a 99-year lease. So for want of something better to watch, I lug a whole season of Criminal Minds home, warm it up in the DVD player and snuggle up for a bout of investigative twiddle.
And twiddle it certainly is. Like CSI, that other ripe-for-repeat fest, Criminal Minds opens with some shock and awe, and is followed by a plot that brews thick and slow until someone from the Behavioural Analysis Unit trips over an overlooked clue and, lo and behold, the criminal is brushed off with a stupid, bumper-sticker aphorism to spend the next years getting rusty behind bars.
Yet Criminal Minds is worse. No, it is not because the episodes are a cut and paste job with nary an ounce of imagination, or that the lines are so bad that the actors spend most of their time self-consciously trying to disappear into their own facial foliage. Rather, where Criminal Minds jars is that the close-up is always on some chunky-sweater guy with mental health issues being imaginative with a chainsaw. Which, in turn, fuels the stereotype that all people suffering from mental health problems are dangerous killers on the prowl.
Mind you (that was the weakest pun - goodbye), I am all in favour of people with physical and mental disabilities getting exposure. But not the kind of exposure we are used to, which always portrays the disabled as harmless and stupid props; dangerous killers or as the beneficiaries of our pity and Christmas charity. Here, exposure reduces people suffering from disability to non-sexual, invisible, excluded persons who require expensive treatments and who, rather than a human being, are an embodiment of the disability they suffer from.
Rather, exposure has to work in favour of people suffering from mental disabilities such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and other forms. It has to challenge stereotypes, remove the stigma that exists towards people suffering from mental disabilities, encourage social inclusion and compassion, and give them dignity. Exposure has to tell the truth.
The truth is that worldwide, one in four people will have some sort of mental health problem at some point in their life. Mental disability is classless, ageless and sexless - at any time, some 450 million people from all walks of life are affected by mental, neurological or behavioural problems.
Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined as a state of well-being in which people realise their potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and are able to make a contribution to the community. WHO's definition of health is contained in its constitution, and says that "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
People who suffer a mental disability are born with a missing chemical in the brain composition, and therefore have the propensity for mental illness. While some can live a perfectly normal life, in most cases something happens, and this triggers off the propensity, thus causing mental disability. Given that the most common triggers are tensions and traumas, and since stress, work and family balance and a hectic pace affect the balance on which a healthy mental state is based, the number of people suffering from mental health problems is on the rise.
In Malta, mental illness is a significant problem. The principal cause is that, given our size, the gene pool is very small, which means that genetic mental disabilities are more easily inherited. Moreover, strong religious beliefs and tradition are manifested in a guilt complex or manias.
Despite a wealth of knowledge, there are still huge gaps in treatment and resources worldwide. A recent WHO study in 14 countries showed that, in developing countries, between 76 to 85 per cent of serious mental illness cases did not receive treatment within the prior year. Furthermore, data from the WHO Mental Health Atlas shows an alarming human resource gap in the developing countries.
In the developing countries, one of the main problems is under, over and misdiagnosis. This is no fault of psychologists or the authorities. In fact, locally, organisations such as The Richmond Foundation promote a holistic approach, involving psychologists, social and support workers and self-help groups. Rather, under, over and misdiagnosis are a direct consequence of people suffering from mental disabilities not being very articulate about their illness. In fact, one of the main disorders - obsessive compulsive disorder - is a very private illness and is often referred to as "the secret illness", even if in Europe, it is calculated that two to three per cent of the population suffers from it.
Yet the biggest problem is a negative public attitude. People suffering mental health difficulties are too often discriminated against, laughed at and isolated, which makes them one of the most vulnerable groups in society. This explains why we need to fight discrimination, challenge stereotypes and negative attitudes, and make mental ill-health socially acceptable. The biggest cure for mental illness is giving those who suffer from it dignity.
World Mental Health Day
Organised by the World Federation for Mental Health and supported by the World Health Organisation, World Mental Health Day was observed for the first time on October 10, 1992. It was started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health by the then Deputy Secretary General Richard Hunter. The day is officially commemorated every year on October 10.
For 2007, World Mental Health Day focuses on Mental Health in a Changing World: The Impact of Culture and Diversity. In the first census into the ethnicity of mental health service in the UK, it was found that, for instance, young black men were six times more likely than their white contemporaries to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act for compulsory treatment, although international studies showed they were not genetically more susceptible to serious mental illness.
It is calculated that one person out of 25 is an international migrant, which adds up to three per cent of the population. Such a diversity of cultures influences many aspects of mental health, including how individuals from a given culture communicate and manifest their symptoms, their style of coping, their family and community supports and their willingness to seek treatment. Likewise, the cultures of the clinician and the service system influence diagnosis, treatment and service delivery.
Care can only move forward if the cultural and ethnic differences are taken into consideration rather than allowing differences to develop into gaps. In order to effectively address such gaps, mental health policy, plans and legislation must be integrated into national health systems. Promoting mental health, preventing mental disorders, mainstreaming cost-effective interventions in primary health care, promoting community care and engaging with local communities should be key components of mental health plans and policies.
And twiddle it certainly is. Like CSI, that other ripe-for-repeat fest, Criminal Minds opens with some shock and awe, and is followed by a plot that brews thick and slow until someone from the Behavioural Analysis Unit trips over an overlooked clue and, lo and behold, the criminal is brushed off with a stupid, bumper-sticker aphorism to spend the next years getting rusty behind bars.
Yet Criminal Minds is worse. No, it is not because the episodes are a cut and paste job with nary an ounce of imagination, or that the lines are so bad that the actors spend most of their time self-consciously trying to disappear into their own facial foliage. Rather, where Criminal Minds jars is that the close-up is always on some chunky-sweater guy with mental health issues being imaginative with a chainsaw. Which, in turn, fuels the stereotype that all people suffering from mental health problems are dangerous killers on the prowl.
Mind you (that was the weakest pun - goodbye), I am all in favour of people with physical and mental disabilities getting exposure. But not the kind of exposure we are used to, which always portrays the disabled as harmless and stupid props; dangerous killers or as the beneficiaries of our pity and Christmas charity. Here, exposure reduces people suffering from disability to non-sexual, invisible, excluded persons who require expensive treatments and who, rather than a human being, are an embodiment of the disability they suffer from.
Rather, exposure has to work in favour of people suffering from mental disabilities such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and other forms. It has to challenge stereotypes, remove the stigma that exists towards people suffering from mental disabilities, encourage social inclusion and compassion, and give them dignity. Exposure has to tell the truth.
The truth is that worldwide, one in four people will have some sort of mental health problem at some point in their life. Mental disability is classless, ageless and sexless - at any time, some 450 million people from all walks of life are affected by mental, neurological or behavioural problems.
Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined as a state of well-being in which people realise their potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and are able to make a contribution to the community. WHO's definition of health is contained in its constitution, and says that "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
People who suffer a mental disability are born with a missing chemical in the brain composition, and therefore have the propensity for mental illness. While some can live a perfectly normal life, in most cases something happens, and this triggers off the propensity, thus causing mental disability. Given that the most common triggers are tensions and traumas, and since stress, work and family balance and a hectic pace affect the balance on which a healthy mental state is based, the number of people suffering from mental health problems is on the rise.
In Malta, mental illness is a significant problem. The principal cause is that, given our size, the gene pool is very small, which means that genetic mental disabilities are more easily inherited. Moreover, strong religious beliefs and tradition are manifested in a guilt complex or manias.
Despite a wealth of knowledge, there are still huge gaps in treatment and resources worldwide. A recent WHO study in 14 countries showed that, in developing countries, between 76 to 85 per cent of serious mental illness cases did not receive treatment within the prior year. Furthermore, data from the WHO Mental Health Atlas shows an alarming human resource gap in the developing countries.
In the developing countries, one of the main problems is under, over and misdiagnosis. This is no fault of psychologists or the authorities. In fact, locally, organisations such as The Richmond Foundation promote a holistic approach, involving psychologists, social and support workers and self-help groups. Rather, under, over and misdiagnosis are a direct consequence of people suffering from mental disabilities not being very articulate about their illness. In fact, one of the main disorders - obsessive compulsive disorder - is a very private illness and is often referred to as "the secret illness", even if in Europe, it is calculated that two to three per cent of the population suffers from it.
Yet the biggest problem is a negative public attitude. People suffering mental health difficulties are too often discriminated against, laughed at and isolated, which makes them one of the most vulnerable groups in society. This explains why we need to fight discrimination, challenge stereotypes and negative attitudes, and make mental ill-health socially acceptable. The biggest cure for mental illness is giving those who suffer from it dignity.
World Mental Health Day
Organised by the World Federation for Mental Health and supported by the World Health Organisation, World Mental Health Day was observed for the first time on October 10, 1992. It was started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health by the then Deputy Secretary General Richard Hunter. The day is officially commemorated every year on October 10.
For 2007, World Mental Health Day focuses on Mental Health in a Changing World: The Impact of Culture and Diversity. In the first census into the ethnicity of mental health service in the UK, it was found that, for instance, young black men were six times more likely than their white contemporaries to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act for compulsory treatment, although international studies showed they were not genetically more susceptible to serious mental illness.
It is calculated that one person out of 25 is an international migrant, which adds up to three per cent of the population. Such a diversity of cultures influences many aspects of mental health, including how individuals from a given culture communicate and manifest their symptoms, their style of coping, their family and community supports and their willingness to seek treatment. Likewise, the cultures of the clinician and the service system influence diagnosis, treatment and service delivery.
Care can only move forward if the cultural and ethnic differences are taken into consideration rather than allowing differences to develop into gaps. In order to effectively address such gaps, mental health policy, plans and legislation must be integrated into national health systems. Promoting mental health, preventing mental disorders, mainstreaming cost-effective interventions in primary health care, promoting community care and engaging with local communities should be key components of mental health plans and policies.