World Mental Health Day: Listen More, Judge Less
Belize’s Minister of Health and Wellness, Kevin Bernard, is urging Belizeans to be kinder, listen more and make it clear that asking for help is a strength. His message comes as the world marks World Mental Health Day on October 10.
“Your mental health matters. So let us be kinder. Let’s listen more and remind those around us that seeking help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.”
Bernard said the country needs to work together on the issue. “There is no help without mental health. So today I ask, let’s together as Belizeans, let us ensure that there is a Belize where no one suffers in silence.”
This year’s theme, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change.”
The campaign asks governments, health systems and communities to treat the knowledge of people who have lived with mental health conditions as a form of expertise. It also asks that they help shape the policies, services and decisions that affect their lives.
Lived experience is what someone has experienced themselves, especially when it gives them knowledge or understanding that people who have only heard or learnt about it do not have.
One priority for people with lived experience is shifting from long-stay psychiatric institutions to community-based, person-centred care.
The organisation says that institutions tend to be isolating and are too often associated with poor-quality care, coercion and human rights abuses. It says moving away from them requires a carefully planned shift in funding, services and support, so people can live in their communities. The World Health Organization says it will launch practical guidance on deinstitutionalisation.
How to start the conversation
- Who can I talk to? Someone you trust and feel comfortable with, or a support line if you’d rather talk to someone you don’t know.
- When and where should we talk? Choose a time when you’re not rushing and won’t be interrupted.
- How do I begin? Practise your opening sentence or write down your thoughts first.
- How much do I want to share? You are in control of your story.
- What if they react poorly? Give them time to process, and be kind to yourself.