Good morning,

The issue of women and mental health is very close to my heart. I am glad that the National Council of Women chose this theme on the occasion of World Mental Health Day.

Women are in the forefront. Very often, women in our society are seen as the carers - the ones who can cope. Whatever life throws at them - they will always cope. They have multiple roles, modules and hats. But we always assume that they will cope. In other words, they are taken for granted - their presence, their strength and their care are all taken for granted.

Women, and particularly Maltese women, are on call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, whether their children are sick, their husbands are out of work or their parents are old and frail and need their help. They will cook and clean, go out to work, attend to the needs of those around them. It can take enormous courage for women to admit they cannot cope, that they may need help - from family and friends or the support systems offered by the state, the individual professionals and organisations or support groups.

Frequently women attempt to survive through tough times alone, sometimes, falling into a deeper and darker depression as they feel more and more trapped by the life they are leading. As their world closes in on them their self esteem starts to dwindle away as they retreat further and further from those who could help them.

This fragile side to women’s mental health may be triggered through the biological make-up of women. We often blame it on the hormones which play their role (or should I say "trick") in a woman’s life. Women’s cycle, anti-natal, post-natal, menopause, all contribute to the complex fragility of women’s mental health. But that is not all.

There is also a vulnerability related to women’s social role. Girls, more than boys, are abused as children and women, more than men, are victims of domestic violence. Single women are often the ones caring for children when a marriage fails. In other words, women’s mental health is more often than not related to finding a balance. It is almost expected of women to find this balance.

Many women and men turn to alcohol and other addictions, to numb the pain of their despair. But because it is seen in women as less acceptable to admit to any form of dependence, it often goes unnoticed. They are merely perceived as having a nervous disposition. Their suffering may not be seen or may be misunderstood.

Perhaps we need to look more closely at the cause of the illness rather than attempt to suppress it. To accept that putting a lid on powerful feelings and emotions cannot be the healthy option. That to offer women the opportunity to express themselves courageously, could be a far more effective use of  resources, rather than wait until their strength to survive dies out.

If we as a society continue to re-enforce the idea that women should only do things that are thought to benefit their family without taking care of themselves, if they feel they must sacrifice everything for their loved ones even at the cost of their health, their inner strength and their own self worth; they will live only in the shadow of others and their mental health will surely suffer.

But if we can help to give women their right to fulfil their own potential and to share it with their family, children or friends, maybe fewer women would find themselves living a life obscured by depression and poor mental health. I hope this conference will help all involved to understand the needs of women more clearly and help to give them back their rightful, mentally healthy life.

Thank you.