Michael Abrahams | One woman’s fight against mental illness stigma

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly one in every seven people (1.1 billion) around the world are living with a mental disorder. Unfortunately, it has been estimated that more than half of the people with mental illness do not receive help for their conditions. One of the main contributing factors to this is the stigma that accompanies mental illness.

Stigma refers to a mark of disgrace or strong social disapproval associated with a particular characteristic, attribute, circumstance, or person and often arises from lack of understanding, or fear. There are three main types of stigma: public stigma, self-stigma and structural stigma.

Public or social stigma involves the negative or discriminatory attitudes, stereotypes and prejudice that the general public, friends or family may have about mental illness. Self-stigma, or internalised stigma, refers to the negative attitudes, including internalised shame, that people with mental illness may have about their own condition. Structural or institutional stigma is more systemic, involving laws, policies of government and private organisations that intentionally or unintentionally limit opportunities for people with mental illness. These stigmas do not exist in a vacuum. They often interact and reinforce one another, adversely affecting a person’s mental health and social well-being, which may also contribute to physical illness.

Unfortunately, the stigma of mental illness is universal. A 2016 EMBO Reports study concluded “there is no country, society or culture where people with mental illness have the same societal value as people without mental illness.” Stigma can contribute to prejudice, discrimination, harassment, bullying, physical violence, social isolation, worsening symptoms and reduced likelihood of getting treatment. Fighting the stigma associated with mental illness, therefore, must be a part of any programme to manage those who are mentally unwell.

Approximately 20 per cent of Jamaica’s population (one in every five people) suffers from some form of mental health issue, a prevalence that appears to be above the global average. Our country, therefore, requires a thorough and comprehensive approach to address its citizens who are afflicted with mental illness.

MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE

And this is where Suzette Camille Buchanan, the CEO of Bellevue Hospital, enters our story. Bellevue is Jamaica’s only specialised psychiatric institution and is viewed as the leading mental health facility in the Caribbean. Buchanan is a committed mental health advocate. Apart from holding a graduate degree in International Business with Law, she also received certification in Mental Health First Aid from St John Western in Australia, and specialised training in Mental Health Leadership at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is the creator, executive producer and host of MindSet, a mental health series airing on local television station TVJ.

Since late December 2025, Buchanan has been putting out videos about mental health on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook combat stigma and encourage those who are afflicted to seek help.

In one video, Buchanan not only stresses the importance of early detection of mental illness but, in the comments, gives a comprehensive list of psychiatrists in Jamaica, along with their contact information.

https://www.instagram.com/camilebuchanan/reel/DTLS51ijnLo/

In another, she urges people to respect Bellevue Hospital and treat mental illness with the same seriousness as physical illness. https://www.instagram.com/camilebuchanan/reel/DTaxTL6iU0F/

In another video, she speaks about depression in men, stating the importance of recognising it and not judging them as being weak, and informing us that out of the 500 patients at Bellevue at the time, 349 were men.

https://www.instagram.com/camilebuchanan/reel/DS74llKjpZH/

There is a very strong correlation between sexual abuse in childhood and mental illness later in life, and there is a video educating us about this.

https://www.instagram.com/camilebuchanan/reel/DTG4tV1CbvZ/

Intimate partner violence is common in our society, and there is a video in which Buchanan speaks to victims of such trauma, offering them words of encouragement and empowerment. The video also contains a list of resources for abused women and children and people who are suicidal.

https://www.instagram.com/camilebuchanan/reel/DT-5upeCWFQ/

Postpartum depression affects 10 to 15 per cent of females who have recently delivered and can be very distressing, and this is addressed in a video.

https://www.instagram.com/camilebuchanan/reel/DU_p1kYiXOr/

And there are many more videos. But does it make sense to make them? Yes, it does. A study published in the International Journal of Information Systems and Social Change in 2024 found that social media can help increase mental health literacy. Another study published in December 2025 in JAACAP Open found that Instagram was useful in reducing stigma.

USEFUL VIDEOS

Teens are among the most ardent users of social media, and according to a 2021 survey by Hopelab, health information and mental health issues are among the top searches among this group, and Buchanan’s videos are likely to be useful to them. Also, a 2023 study published in Psychiatric Services found that a video featuring an actor sharing a story was as effective as a person with lived experience. Interestingly, Buchanan’s videos do both: she acts in skits, sometimes with other actors, and also speaks of her own lived experiences.

But are the videos yielding results? Yes, they are. Buchanan’s videos have racked up millions of views across the platforms on which they are posted, with an outpouring of appreciation and gratitude in the comments, and several people have spoken with me about her mission and how useful they find her videos. There is also data. Since Buchanan began posting her videos about two months ago, there has been a 17 per cent increase in patient admissions at Bellevue, and increases have been reported at other institutions. Buchanan’s advocacy is so powerful that in 2025, she was named International Mental Health Advocate of the Year by the Mental Health Foundation Australia.

Buchanan has transformed the perception of Bellevue Hospital from a punchline to a lifeline. She has singlehandedly taken on mental health stigma in this country, and her efforts have begun to change attitudes toward mental illness, facilitating conversations on the issue and emboldening the afflicted to seek help. She is an asset to our health sector and our country, and to her, the most respect is due.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams