Basil Jarrett | Has the mental health community failed us?

Last week, I made the point that discussions around mental health are almost exclusively tied to crisis, breakdowns and self-destruction, and pushed the argument that the mental health community, while well-meaning in its focus on suicide and stress management, has unintentionally narrowed the mental health conversation by focusing so strongly on the extremes of stress management and suicide.

For example, we hear the loud alarm bells about the 64 persons who took their own lives in 2022, but very little about the thousands or hundreds of thousands quietly battling the insidious, less ‘spectacular’ disorders that affect everyday lives in ways that are just as devastating, if not more so.

Let’s switch the conversation then by talking about the full spectrum of mental health disorders that aren’t grabbing the headlines, but are causing havoc in relationships, families, workplaces, and communities all across the country, such as personality disorders, attachment issues, anxiety and trauma response. These issues are the real silent killers, eroding our collective well-being, one relationship, one job, one life at a time. In fact, one could argue that they affect far more people and cause far more damage to our society than those 64 suicides we focus so much on. So why aren’t we talking about them?

PERSONALITY DISORDERS: THE HIDDEN CHAOS IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS

Personality disorders are mental health conditions where individuals display long-term patterns of behaviour and thought that are significantly different from what society expects. You might not hear much about them in everyday conversation, but if you’ve ever worked with or had a relationship with someone who has a personality disorder, you know the turmoil they can cause.

Take, for instance, borderline personality disorder (BPD). Persons with BPD struggle with intense emotions, unstable relationships, and an overwhelming fear of abandonment. Their emotional volatility can create a whirlwind of conflict in families, workplaces, and even friendships. Narcissistic personality disorder is another example, where an inflated sense of self-importance leads to manipulation, deceit, and exploitation of others. These conditions don’t just affect the individual – they affect everyone around them, often leaving a trail of broken relationships and often-irreparable emotional damage.

And that’s the point: these disorders don’t come with the dramatic finale of a suicide, but the daily emotional havoc they wreak in homes and workplaces goes unnoticed, unaddressed, and untreated. The damage is cumulative, and by the time people seek help – if they ever do – the damage is often already done.

ATTACHMENT ISSUES: THE WOUNDS WE CARRY FROM CHILDHOOD

Then there’s the issue of attachment, something many people have never even heard of but struggle with every day. Attachment styles, we are told, are formed in childhood based on the bond we form with our primary caregivers and go on to shape how we relate to others for the rest of our lives. Secure attachment styles leads to healthy, stable relationships, but insecure attachment? That’s another story entirely. There are two main types of insecure attachment — anxious and avoidant. Anxiously attached people are often clingy, fearful of abandonment, and constantly seeking validation. On the flip side, avoidantly attached individuals struggle to form close relationships, often keeping others at arm’s length, afraid of vulnerability. Put the two together and watch what happens.

These attachment issues might not sound as alarming as a suicide attempt, but the destruction they cause is profound. People with attachment issues often cycle through dysfunctional relationships, never quite feeling secure or fulfilled, leaving a trail of broken hearts and emotional wounds in their wake. And unlike suicide, which ends in one tragic moment, attachment issues affect families for generations, creating patterns of dysfunction that are passed down to children and grandchildren.

ANXIETY: THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

Anxiety is another disorder that’s woefully misunderstood and under-represented in the national mental health conversation. It’s easy to dismiss anxiety as mere worry or stress, but for those living with generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or social anxiety disorder, it’s a daily battle with a mind that refuses to switch off. The constant feeling of dread, the panic attacks that strike without warning, the social isolation – it’s debilitating.

Anxiety doesn’t make headlines like suicide, but its impact is far-reaching as people with untreated anxiety often struggle to hold down jobs, maintain relationships, or even function day-to-day. The toll on productivity, family life, and personal well-being is immense. In fact, anxiety disorders are one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, but we still act like it’s just ‘nerves’, or something you can shake off. In Jamaica, where ‘strong back’ and resilience are cultural staples, many are suffering in silence, afraid to admit they’re overwhelmed because they don’t want to be seen as weak.

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: THE LINGERING GHOSTS OF TRAUMA

Finally, there’s post-traumatic stress Disorder (PTSD), which affects far more people than we realise, especially in a society like ours where violence, abuse, and trauma are unfortunately common. PTSD isn’t just something that happens to soldiers returning from war; it can affect anyone who has experienced a traumatic event, whether it’s a car accident, a robbery, or prolonged exposure to domestic abuse.

People with PTSD often relive their trauma through flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety. They avoid situations that remind them of the event, often withdrawing from society, isolating themselves from family and friends. Over time, this isolation leads to broken relationships, job loss, and deep emotional scars.

And yet, despite the significant number of Jamaicans who have experienced trauma, PTSD remains grossly under-diagnosed and undertreated. There are no major public education campaigns, no significant push to destigmatise trauma or to make PTSD a regular part of the mental health conversation.

THE REAL CRISIS

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: suicide, while tragic, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mental health. Personality disorders, attachment issues, anxiety, and PTSD are wreaking far more havoc on the Jamaican society than we care to admit. These conditions don’t always end in death, but they lead to broken homes, lost jobs, substance abuse, domestic violence, and community breakdowns. The cumulative effect is a society that’s slowly unravelling at the seams, but we’re too busy focusing on the extremes to notice.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Visit him at www.thecrisismajor.com. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.