THE EDITOR,Sir:
I AM deeply concerned about the welfare of the mentally ill in this country. Mentally ill, or "mad people" as they are usually called, have always posessesed a stigma. They are ridiculed and often times beaten and cast out of their community.
The most recent killing of the three children by their uncle has worried me tremendously. What is going to happen to the future of our soceity if these illnesses are not taken more seriously? I have relatives with schizophrenia and manic depression. I know people with anti-personality disorder and there is no real proper treatment or follow up treatment for them. So I can only imagine what happens to people with more severe cases. Or people who come from homes with no tolerance for such problems.
My heart is aching for that family, because if there was some system put in place, maybe those children would not have died and maybe that mentally ill uncle would have found the treatment or a place where he could get help and not hurt anyone or himself.
I urge our Government to come up with a solution to this problem immediately as it is going to accumulate to the degradation of this society. People are going to think that they can commit violent and heinous crimes without taking responsibility for their actions.
I am, etc.,
CONCERNED FOR
THE MENTALLY ILL
jamaicatees@hotmail.com
Kingston
Via Go-Jamaica
