Aldrick thought: ‘You know, tomorrow is no Carnival.’ And he understood then what it meant when people said that they wished every day was Carnival…costumes used today to display the selves of people were going to be taken off. What of those selves? What of the selves of these thousands? What of his own self?
—Earl Lovelace,
‘The Dragon Can’t Dance’
As much I criticised the lack of storytelling and experimentation in soca music two weeks ago, if you look and listen deep enough, there are some tunes that, like Lovelace’s The Dragon Can’t Dance, provide powerful commentary on the spiritual power of Carnival to “ease the tension”, as Kes says in one of his songs this season, “Medicine”. Machel Montano’s “Pardy” is the favourite for Road March 2025. This selection, considered the people’s choice to cross the stage, is as infectious as it is resonant: “we work so hard every week, we deserve a pardy”.
The running theme in soca lyrics of deserving two days, and in some cases wanting more, to “release” and “get on bad”, taps into a sentiment of what late Caribbean cultural theorist Gordon Rohlehr called the cathartic quality of Carnival. This catharsis was directly referenced by Patrice Roberts’ “Anxiety” last year which mentioned soca as taking away her anxiety. It needs to be studied closely that every year, for two to three months, a large subset of the population comes together to collectively celebrate but also to excavate their pent-up stress, frustration, burnout, and—I would go so far as to say—seasonal depression, euphemistically referred to as “Carnival tabanca”.
As it did for the 18th-century once-enslaved, now-freed, Carnival was the space where they could finally rebel in the faces of their formerly white masters, so too has it remained with us that we also get the time and space to do things we would never otherwise do at any point of the year. While Carnival presents the perfect and unique opportunity to speak frankly of mental health, we shouldn’t have to wait for two days—or even two months—to affirm mental health care. This is especially given the fact that more people are increasingly, and literally, calling for help.
Last month, Social Development Minister Donna Cox said over 1,800 emotional distress calls were received by the National Crisis Hotline between October 2024 and January 2025. The increasing calls could be a sign of more people in distress. Cox said between 2022 and 2023, a total of 2,200 calls came in. From 2023 to 2024, there were 3,816.
In just four months (October 2024 to January 2025), there were 1,851 calls, almost half the number recorded for the entire year (2023-2024). Cox said the range of calls included “suicide ideation, mental health challenges, gender-based violence, families in crisis and substance abuse”.
A certain level of distress has been attributed to ongoing traffic congestion which, according to a 2024 study published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), “generates additional impacts including stress, fatigue, and depression among commuters”.
So what is being done outside of Carnival to correct the nationwide stress levels and associated mental illness? As recently as 2023, in the sixth report of the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Social Services and Public Administration, the committee noted additional nursing staff is required at St Ann’s. There was also evidence that “revealed a shortage of specialist medical practitioners within the network of public mental health care”. Financial constraints in the State sector were also documented as a hindrance to filling these vacant posts. A 2022 report of the JSC on Human Rights, Equality and Diversity highlighted the State’s capacity to provide quality mental health care to persons with mental illnesses. The report identified barriers to care that ranged from education, legislation, investment, staff development, data collection and research, availability of resources, and a culturally relevant, holistic framework for mental healthcare that includes the normalisation of mental healthcare.
Public psychiatric care remains centred on St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital, a colonial-era institution that still represents the outdated model of institutionalisation rather than community-based mental health support. Growing up, the hospital was colloquially called “the mad house”. What appeared to be a joke was symptomatic of a serious matter hindering holistic mental healthcare—the stigma attached to people suffering from mental illness.
On the legislative side, the Mental Health Act 1975—yes, you read that correctly, 1975—is in desperate need of reform. Although the millions of dollars the Government pumps yearly into Carnival festivities could be viewed as one very expensive therapy bill for the entire nation, each regional health authority must also be well-funded to provide mental health services. Schools should integrate mental wellness education into curricula, and workplaces must offer mental health support as part of employee wellness programmes. Public campaigns should also aim to reduce stigma and encourage citizens to seek help when needed.
The many deficiencies in providing mental health care cannot be summed up in a single soca song. Yet, the songs that do call attention to Carnival as a form of therapy only hint at what is lacking: a holistic framework for quality mental health care.
• Dr De Matas is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
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