My heart bleeds for the parents of Stephen Fray. This is not a question of whether they are rich or poor. The blame game is over. This could be anyone's son. We have to face the fact that our people are not very literate when it comes to mental-health challenges.

Many families face situations with their sons, daughters and elderly parents that they just consider the behaviour as comical or assume it is total madness. They deny, deny and deny, until the challenges are way out of control. Education is the key. Families and communities have to be educated as to the warning signs of the various mental-health deficiencies. When evident, the mental-health nurse should be alerted or the family should arrange to take the individual to the psychiatrist.

The family unit has to make a decision to spend a lot of quality time with the mentally challenged, and be like a guardian angel to watch over them in a secretive way. Put them on a balanced diet with folic acid being a very important part of the whole. The family has to communicate with them and ensure that there is plenty of light and soothing music around.

As a society, we do not want to accept that, at times, people are demonised and that in itself demands religious intervention from a pure leader who can face and cast out demons. Who can tell what happens to human beings at times?

I am, etc.,

VERNA GORDON BINNS

PO Box 123

Black River

theashton@cwjamaica.com