Social Impact with Emma » mental health : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Down Memory Lane

July 25th, 2020

I have been reading quite a lot about our state of mind during COVID-19. Indeed, mental health remains a major concern as the pandemic continues to bite in some parts of the world. Now that the initial panic and confusion is over, here in Jamaica we are panicking less, but still confused and muddled, not […]

Banishing the “Mad People” Mindset

October 13th, 2019

“For the average Jamaican, mental illness means mad people. Let’s be frank.” So said Minister of Health and Wellness Christopher Tufton at the launch of the “Speak Up, Speak Now” Mental Health Campaign at Bellevue Hospital in Kingston last Thursday, October 10 – World Mental Health Day. Now, first things first: the Mental Health and […]

She Speaks: Diverse, Vibrant and Ultimately Satisfying

July 8th, 2019

I was honoured and happy to speak at a recent event simply headlined “She Speaks.” There were seven of us, brought together through the efforts of public relations consultant Antoinette Campbell. We were there to bring her concept into being, and it was exciting. A Jamaica Gleaner report described the evening as the first in an “empowering […]

The Word “Discipline” Means Teaching and Learning, Not Violence and Sadism

October 7th, 2017

Yet another furore has occurred over a “viral” social media post of a woman beating her daughter in her yard. This is most likely an everyday occurrence around the island; but this time, a Jamaican with a smartphone was nearby to record the child abuse. So, Jamaicans were shocked, as if they did not know […]

“Endo What?” Documentary Film Highlights A Misunderstood Disease

April 12th, 2017

I recently attended the Caribbean premiere of a new documentary film – the first ever – on the often misunderstood and ignored disease of endometriosis. The screening of Endo What? was shown by the B.A.S.E. Foundation. Last month (Endometriosis Awareness Month) was an intensely busy one for B.A.S.E. founder and CEO Shauna Fuller Clarke, herself an “endo” […]

Lighting the Darkness Together: #FaceDepression

August 2nd, 2016

Smiling faces are pinned on the walls: brightly colored memes. The photographs are of mostly young people, and we may even recognize one or two. In the white room people stand and talk, sip cups of soup, pick up information leaflets and look at the artistic displays. A small tree stands decorated with headlines cut […]

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