Bellevue Hospital, arguably Jamaica’s most stigmatised healthcare institution, is being hailed by social media users for challenging mental health stigma in a viral post on X.com, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday (August 15).

The Kingston-based hospital received a tidal wave of engagement from Jamaicans for simply asking, ‘Hey. You OK?’, in a mental health check-in yesterday morning.

Perhaps not expecting the attention it received, scores of Jamaicans took the opportunity to vent, chiming in that while a few or several aspects of their individual lives were not ideal, they would keep pushing.

I, for one, was actually very heartened to see Jamaicans opening up about how they were feeling.

This is particularly telling considering the our historic trepidation to address mental health locally. Bellevue is so much more than just a ‘mad people place’, even as its infamous reputation persists.

Yes, there are many things that we should be grateful for, but it is hard for some of us in society to see the light when you are shrouded in darkness, self-induced or otherwise.

Dealing with the daily rigours of life as Jamaicans is not as easy as it once was in the ‘good old days’. Indeed, citizens, especially vulnerable groups such as women, children, the poor, eldery, and the disabled, navigate a more dangerous, unpredictable and expensive society—with that prospect becoming increasingly untenable year after year.

Hey. You OK?

— Bellevue Hospital Jamaica (@BVHofficialja) August 15, 2023

I feel the overarching message is that it is okay not to be okay and far from the contrary, your mental anguish does not make you less of a person.

The engagement with Bellevue signifies that our Jamaican brothers and sisters continue to try their best despite their personal struggles, even if the odds are stacked ever higher against them.

There is an informal saying I’ve heard often times that ‘Jamaicans don’t like change’. We may not be used to platforms speaking this way, but would the interactions have been the same with a more polished system? Readily seen insights from Bellevue’s X page clearly demonstrate this isn’t the case.

While some have chastised the hospital’s social media approach for being ‘too gimmicky’, I can definitely see where tweaking how we engage with facilities such as Bellevue signals a paradigm shift for citizens.

For one, it demonstrates that Jamaicans are more in tune with their mental health and are willing to communicate those challenges.

Secondly, if the Ministry of Health and Wellness is paying attention, it reinforces that demand for mental health services continues to rise. This unofficial ‘lithmus test’ could be an ideal springboard to tackle the issue meaningfully, which to Bellevue’s credit, was done well by incorporating mental health resources and region-specific community-based services.

The ministry concedes that depression is one of the most common mental illnesses impacting the Jamaican populace, with a 14.3 per cent prevalence rate in 2016, which amounts to roughly one in every seven persons.

What’s more, data from the 2008 Jamaica Health and Lifestyle survey showed depression rates between 20-30 per cent in persons with chronic illnesses, such as other non-communicable diseases.

“Among these persons with chronic illnesses, the rate was the same for persons with a history of diabetes, hypertension, cancers, asthma and high cholesterol (25 per cent), lower among persons with obesity (20 per cent) and higher in persons with a history of heart attack and stroke (30 per cent),” the ministry indicated via its website.

A lot has changed in Jamaica since 2016, much less 2008, what is latest mental health situation?

It has been five years since the ministry aggressively pushed its Mental Health Awareness Campaign in 2019, what trends were discovered?

Also bear in mind that the campaign was launched just before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced the entire country to stay home under lockdowns. Have we begun to peel back the layers and examine the mental health implications of self- or state-imposed isolation?

Admittedly, if the goal was to capture the attention of Jamaican Twitter and to help as many people as possible, then Bellevue Hospital certainly overachieved. Let us not break the momentum and double down on our commitment to end mental health stigma together.

Like the hospital’s motto, we must continue to restore hope and empower minds. We at least owe it to ourselves.