Mental health is important to an individual’s wellbeing, their interpersonal associations as well as their successful contributions towards the development of the society. According to UNIATF, UNDP, and PAHO (2019), the mental health problems in Jamaica imposes a huge burden to the individuals, society, families as well as the economy because of exits from the labor markets, presentism, and premature deaths. Currently, mental health and their treatment are highly acknowledged, to the extent of being included in the 2030's Sustainable Development Agenda.
Tackling mental health and their treatment in Jamaica is a necessity as an economic development priority as well as achieving global health following the 2030’s Agenda of inclusion of everyone (UNIATF, UNDP, & PAHO, 2019). This study aims to provide guidance and evidence supporting the mental health conditions increase in Jamaica and necessary healthcare interventions to curb the problem. The research will, therefore, address the gap why investment in mental healthcare in Jamaica should be a government priority in minimizing social costs as well as avoiding significant economic losses. This research builds upon already existing research on mental health and treatment in Jamaica to bridge the gap of prioritizing mental healthcare by the government to minimize social costs and reduce economic losses.
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Need for this Study
Insufficient treatment, prevention, management, and care of mental health problems tend to be a leading cause of human suffering worldwide (WHO, 2019). Nonetheless, it imposes significant economic burdens on nations as people suffering mental diseases have high chances of exiting the labor force, reduced work capacity, and misses a high percentage of workdays (WHO, 2019). Jamaica's mental health problems burden is enormously causing a predicted 2.76billion US dollars loss on economic output for the year 2015-2030, a considerable economic burden compared to other non- communicable diseases except for the cardiovascular illness (UNIATF, UNDP, & PAHO, 2019).
Additionally, the study of mental health in Jamaica is a necessity as an onset of mental conditions in most people is in childhood and adolescence thus, the need to address the problem for improvement of life quality from childhood to old age. Nonetheless, the mental health conditions in Jamaica are on the rise, a case evident through the number of people seeking treatment for the conditions in public hospitals. People who visited the public health institutions in Jamaica for the years 2013 and 2014 were around 90,000, which increased by approximately 20% in the subsequent years, with108,000 patient in 2015 and 132, 000 people in 2016 (UNIATF, UNDP, & PAHO, 2019). The study will, therefore, be intended to identify the mental health problems in Jamaica that are on the rise hence, identify the interventions the government can adopt to curb the problem and regain its healthy society.
Background
Several studies have concluded that there is a need for implementing standardized operating procedures, better equipment, medication, provision of adequate and better accommodation, and efficient personnel training for provision of quality care for patients with mental problems although the economic losses and social costs are still on the rise. Bernard et al. (2018) in their study of antenatal depression causing mental illnesses led to the conclusion that socio-economic stability and presence of father figure to act as a therapist for the depressed individuals helped avoid increased mental problems among children and their mothers. Nonetheless, interventions and policies, which could help prevent antenatal depression, were concluded to be the most effective in protecting the maternal child’s wellbeing (Gibson et al., 2018).
Lacey, Sears, Crawford, Matusko, and Jackson (2016), studies on factors responsible for high levels of mental and physical health in Caribbean region with Jamaica and Guyana as the sample countries led to the conclusion that the quality of care accrued to the patient depends on the availability of qualified healthcare personnel and good healthcare facilities. Lacey et al. (2016) also highlight social factors including stigma act as a barrier to patients seeking mental healthcare in Jamaica.
Several studies also have led to the conclusion that shifting the mental health services in Jamaica from psychiatric hospitals to general hospitals has improved the treatment gap between patients with mental problems and healthcare provision. Assessing Douglas, Standard-Goldson, James and Abel (2018), research on nurses’ perception of the mental health care patients’ readiness to receive healthcare in two health centers in St. Catherine in Jamaica led to the conclusion that shifting mental health care services to general hospitals was a strategic policy aligning with the support and recommendations of the Pan American Health Organization. Douglas et al. (2018), confirms the importance of having equipment, medications, enough accommodations, having standard operating processes, and healthcare personnel well trained for provision of quality healthcare treatment for mental health conditions.
Hickling's (2020) study emphasizes on primary mental health program in Jamaica relating it to political independence. Deinstitutionalization of the prominent mental hospital in Jamaica together with the implementation of various policies concerning mental health came to be with political independence. Hickling (2020), concludes that application of general hospital’s open medical wards together with the diversion at the point of arrest program in the treatment of the mentally ill has led to the significant reduction of the people suffering from the mental illnesses as well as reducing the rates of stigmatization.
Other studies assess mental health intervention as an investment, through assessing profits on investments of scaling the most common health conditions in Jamaica. PAHO, UNDP, and UNIATF (2019) research on mental health as an investment in Jamaica analyses the medical costs health gains, implementation expenses of a certain priority package while incorporating the social value of certain mental health care. PAHO, UNDP, and UNIATF (2019) confirm that governments scaling interventions are a necessity as they help improve the overall wellbeing of an individual together with effecting changes on the universal health coverage. Most of the research studies were focused on the roles of the patients, family members, healthcare personnel training, and hospital structures in reducing social and economic problems that accelerate the rates of mental health conditions. This study will focus on factors that make mental healthcare in Jamaica an investment worth government prioritization to minimize social costs and economic expenses while still influencing the development of mental health.
Objectives
The study seeks to achieve its general objective of providing guidance and evidence supporting the mental health conditions increase in Jamaica and necessary government healthcare interventions to minimize social costs as well as avoid economic losses by focusing on the following specific objectives.
To determine the economic factors of an individual responsible for developments of high rates of mental health illnesses to control their prevalence to minimize social costs as well as avoid economic losses.
To determine the role of society in improving the mental health of the individual and how the government can improve this aspect by offering necessary education to help minimize costs as well as avoid economic losses
To determine how government scaling up treatments for the common mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis would help improve the Jamaican citizens’ health to minimize costs as well as avoid economic losses.
Research Questions
Does the perceived economic factor of an individual influence the developments of high rates of mental health illnesses causing high costs and economic losses?
Does society play a role in improving the mental health of an individual causing high costs and huge economic losses?
Does the government's provision of necessary education on society improve their role in mental health causing high costs and huge economic losses?
Does the governments’ procedure of scaling up treatment for the common mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis improve the Jamaican citizens’ health causing high costs and huge economic losses?
Research methodology
The study intends to use narrative methods to determine the importance of government healthcare interventions to minimize social costs as well as avoid economic losses.
This article is a qualitative research study, which applies narrative research as the strategy of inquiry. The qualitative research study will enable the gathering of detailed data from storytellers who have lived with the mental health conditions at a certain point in their lives as well as taken care of a loved one with a mental problem. The narrative strategy will focus on the participant's ideas and experiences on economic, social, education systems, and scaling up of treatment by the government to understand their implications on high costs and economic losses of mental health problems in Jamaica.
The relationships between the independent and dependent variables are explained through the researcher’s experiences and ideas.
Research Timeline
| Research Section | Duration |
| Title | 1 week |
| Introduction | 1 week |
| Need for the study | 2 weeks |
| Background | 2 weeks |
| Objectives | 1 week |
| Research Questions and or Hypothesis | 1 week |
| Research Methodology | 2 week |
| Data analysis, interpretations, and discussions | 2 weeks |
| Summary conclusion and recommendations | 2 weeks |
| Reviewing work for final submission | 1 week |
The research project is expected to be completed in 15 weeks, with the activities timeline for every section of the research paper as outlined below
References
Bernard, O., Gibson, R. C., McCaw-Binns, A., Reece, J., Coore-Desai, C., Shakespeare-Pellington, S., & Samms-Vaughan, M. (2018). "Antenatal depressive symptoms in Jamaica associated with a limited perceived partner and other social support: A cross-sectional study." PLOS ONE , 13 (3),
Douglas, C., Standard-Goldson, A., James, K., & Abel, W. (2018). Nurses' perception of preparedness for moving mental health care from psychiatric to general hospitals in Jamaica. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública , 42 , e158.
Hickling, F. W. (2020). "Owning our madness: Contributions of Jamaican psychiatry to decolonizing Global Mental Health." Transcultural Psychiatry , 57 (1), 19–31. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1363461519893142
Lacey, K. K., Sears, K. P., Crawford, T. V., Matusko, N., & Jackson, J. S. (2016). Relationship of social and economic factors to mental disorders among population-based samples of Jamaicans and Guyanese. BMJ Open , 6 (12), e012870. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/6/12/e012870.full.pdf
PAHO, UNDP, UNIATF, (2019) Care for Mental Health Conditions in Jamaica: The Case for Investment. Evaluating the Return on Investment of Scaling Up Treatment for Depression, Anxiety, and Psychosis . Washington, D.C. https://iris.paho.org/bitstream/handle/10665.2/51834/9789275121184
World Health Organization. (2019). Making the investment case for mental health: a WHO (No. WHO/UHC/CD-NCD/19.97). World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/325116/WHO-UHC-CD-NCD-19.97-eng.pdf
