Sri Lanka, battered and bruised by economic crisis, poor governance, socio-economic issues, and lack of public discourse about mental wellbeing, has a silent epidemic, which, a 2023 report said may affect nearly one in five of her citizens, with them suffering silently from some form of inner depression. Mental health and related issues are one of the many ‘elephants in the room’ that Sri Lankan culture likes to quickly sweep under the rug, and pretend that it does not exist.

The recent tragedy in Canada has sparked discussion about ‘psychological’ vetting of potential Sri Lankan students who are planning to travel overseas. While any measure to check young people voluntarily in Sri Lanka for mental health is commendable, the question has to be asked, why only check those who are travelling overseas? We have a real problem here, in front of our eyes, a clear public health issue, at which the Government, sparsely casts its gaze. Could it be that Sri Lanka takes such issues seriously because it happened ‘overseas’ where the grass is said to be greener, and residency akin to winning the lotto?

Nevertheless, a report, the ‘2023 Mental State of the World Report’ by Sapien Labs, indicates that Sri Lanka ranks as the world’s second highest in Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) with a score of 89. The report has focused on one key trend, which is that the dramatic decline in mental wellbeing that occurred between 2019 and 2020, and continued into 2021 through the Covid-19 pandemic, continues to persist with no sign of recovery. The news of the report was given prominence in Sri Lanka’s media landscape with some commenting that, all is not bleak in the Island nation, in terms of mental health. However, the accuracy of the report has been called into question, with the sample size and selection, cited as being far from representative of Sri Lanka’s demography, and grass root input.  

Medical doctors and mental health practitioners have challenged the report on social media, questioning how the survey of 2,245 Sri Lankans who were interviewed in English, who had internet access, active on social media platforms can, through a 15-minutes online survey, provide a country outlook on an issue such as a nation’s mental health. Going by the demography that has been surveyed, it is clear that a vast cross section of the Sri Lankan population, especially the ones who are struggling to get by, have been left out. As such, let’s not be in a rush to throw a party about these findings. The survey, which was voluntary – online and in English, would most certainly exclude many Sri Lankans who are, firstly not culturally accustomed to discussing mental health, and secondly competent in submitting their views via an online English language survey. Sri Lanka’s cultural stance on mental health, means that awareness about it is poor in our communities, and discussion about it is frowned upon by some.

In the last few years alone, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of Sri Lankans have collapsed, be it due to Covid-19, political instability, economic crisis or a cumulative effect. Dreams have been shattered, assets lost, plans erased, income diminished, loans and leases snowballing in to bigger debt that many can’t fathom paying off, families have been fragmented, deaths and loss of loved ones left aggrieved, health detonated – or no longer affordable, over the last few years. Sri Lankan population below the poverty line, has increased significantly. As such, today, Sri Lanka has a large vulnerable community, of varying age categories, who originate from different socio-economic environments, that are likely suffering or challenged by mental health issues. The reality is that we don’t know how big the mental health crisis in Sri Lanka has grown, or at what pace it is growing. There are a dearth of specialists who are qualified and capable of treating mental health issues in Sri Lanka. Also, our health system and governance does not give the issue the adequate funding and policy priority it needs. While waiting for the Government to do anything concrete might increase your level of frustration, please have a public discussion about mental health, and thereby make it a recognised ‘public interest topic’. And hopefully the law makers may open their eyes, being that it is an election year. Also, be kind to your fellow Sri Lankans, even the stubborn – reckless motorists who you find on the road on a daily basis, for we don’t know what they are going through. Empathy and understanding, and at times forgiving, will go a long way to help address the mental health issues of our nations.