Allan Campbell - 6.2.25
Tha fhios gur e rud math a th’ ann a-nise gum bheil uimhir de dh’aire follaiseach ga thoirt dha tinneasan de gach seòrsa, agus còmhraidhean mun cuid buaidhe air feadhainn a tha a’ fulang agus mar a thathas ag obair a dh’ionnsaigh leigheis.
Bidh cuimhne aig cuid agaibh air àm far nach d’ rachadh iomadh euslaint ainmeachadh ach ann an sanas, cha robh e idir ga mheas iomchaidh bruidhinn gu poblach air droch thrioblaid slàinte. Bha tinneas inntinn de sheòrsa sam bith nochdte am measg nan trioblaidean sin a bha car toirmisgte. Tha cuimhne agam fhìn, an àm m’ òige, fear anns a’ choimhearsnachd a bhiodh a’ falbh an rathaid agus a’ bruidhinn ris fhèin aig àirde a ghutha agus mar chloinn bha e na chùis eagail dhuinn. Cha robh guth an uairsin air tinneas alzheimer, neo seargadh-inntinn, ach ’s tric a bhios mi a’ smaoineachadh gur dòcha gur e sin a bha sinn a’ faicinn cuid a’ fulang, ged nach robh soillearachadh sam bith againn air. Ach an-diugh tha barrachd dhaoine treuna deònach bruidhinn mun cuid euslaintean, fiù ’s ged a dh’fhaodadh nach eil gealladh leigheis aca. Tha an gluasad seo a’ tachairt aig gach ìre inbhe feadh choimhearsnachdan, agus tha e na mhisneachadh dhan fheadhainn a tha a’ strì air ais gu slàinte, agus tha mi an dùil na thomhas beag de chofhurtachd dha feadhainn aig nach eil an dòchas sin, agus dhan cuideachd. Nach fhada bho chualas nach eil a-màireach air a ghealltainn, agus thig tinneas gun fhiosta is gun rabhadh aig amannan, agus chan eil teagamh nach bi dòigh-beatha agus uallach obrach neach glè thric na adhbhar air na thachras.
Cha robh riamh uimhir a lèirsinn air uallach, agus a’ bhuaidh a th’ aige sin air an t-sluagh gu lèir, agus cuideachd farsaingeachd nan ìrean a tha ga adhbharachadh dha daoine. Gun teagamh bidh dìth cosnaidh, agus bochdainn ’s dòcha ri linn sin, na bhunait àmhghair dha mòran, ach gu h-inntinneach tha cuideachd milleanan ann an cosnaidhean a tha gam fàgail fo dhòrainn. Chunnacas anns na meadhanan bho chionn ghoirid mar a b’ fheudar dha sàr chluicheadair snucair ainmeil tarraing a-mach à farpaisean eadar-nàiseanta air sgàth trom-inntinn, agus bha argamaid ga nochdadh gum bu chòir lighiche-inntinn a bhith an làthair aig leithid de fharpaisean gus cuideachadh a thoirt dha cluicheadair sam bith a bhiodh a’ fulang. Faodaidh gum bu chòir dha sin tachairt, ach bhuail e orm gum faodte an aon seòrsa argamaid a chuir mu choinneamh mhìltean de chosnaidhean eile cuideachd, cuid dhiubh air an cuirte mòran a bharrachd prìomhachais! Mar eisimpleir tha fhios gum biodh luchd-obrach slàinte, teagaisg, agus dìon, faisg air bàrr na liosta. Tha dùbhlan mu choinneamh dhreuchdan a lìonadh le staid maoineachaidh sheirbheisean poblach mar a tha, gun ghuth air tuilleadh cosgais a mholadh!
Far nach eil freagairt eile dha na dùbhlain trom-inntinn sin a tha a’ fàs cho bitheanta, saoilidh mi gum bheil ìre air choreigin de ghliocas mhisneachail san t-seanfhacal Bheurla, gum bheil co-roinn trioblaid a’ co-roinn an uallaich!
Many of us remember times when it was not deemed appropriate to discuss people’s ailments, or indeed our own, publicly, so I believe we should welcome the candour with which folk from all sectors of the community are now happy to do this.
Mental illness of any kind was high on the list of forbidden topics, and I recall people from my own childhood community displaying behaviour which I now believe was possibly Alzheimer’s related, which scared us as children, because no explanation was available to us.
Admirable people from all sectors are now prepared to discuss their illnesses, even when they have no certainty of a cure. Honest and candid explanation of symptoms, the impact of treatment and hope of recovery, and the effect of it all on family and friends.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed, and illness can develop shockingly sudden and without warning, but there can be no doubt that lifestyle, working practices, and environments can frequently cause illness. The range of sources of stress and its impact on our lives, has never been so prominent. Unemployment and consequential poverty depress substantial numbers, but alarmingly millions of full-time employed also suffer stress.
When an international snooker star recently withdrew from a competition because of stress, sport representatives argued that professional support should be available at all major competitions to support players who might develop stress-related illness. While this may be true it occurs to me that a similar argument could also be made for many thousands in a wide variety of other professions, some of which attract a considerably higher priority status than snooker! For example, surely health workers, teachers, and security staff would be near the top of any such list, but extensive lists of unfilled posts due to public sector funding strictures clearly kills any such costly proposal!
In the absence of new solutions to growing stress-driven mental health challenges, there may be a glimmer of comfort in the proverb that “a problem shared is a problem halved!”
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