Having a mental health check-up should be as normal as going for a visit to your doctor, Lydia Abela told a conference on mental health.
But to change our culture, we needed to start with children, she added.
“I want to see a country that normalises mental health check-ups and strengthens the culture of prevention,” said Abela, wife of prime minister Robert Abela.
“We want our children to grow up in a less stressful environment, but we also need to give them the mental tools to face life’s challenges as they grow older.”
Abela was addressing the National Conference on Quality of Life and Mental Health, organised as part of the Nitkellem festival at Fort St Elmo.
Abela organised the festival together with the government and in collaboration with the Richmond Foundation, SOS Malta, Dar Kenn għal Saħħtek, actress Simone Spiteri, and ultra-endurance swimmer Neil Agius. The Health Ministry, Special Olympics Malta, Teatru Malta, Kelma Kelma Nota Nota, as well as several mental health experts and activists.
Abela insisted the event was not a “ceremonial festival”, but a manifestation of open dialogue and reflection.
The real stories shared during the conference showed that mental health did not discriminate, she added.
Abela listed measures already in place, including plans to open a new psychiatric hospital and free courses in mental health first aid within local communities. Still, there remains a continuous need to view mental health not only as a medical issue, but as a way of life, she noted.
She also warned that while social media has many advantages, excessive use can have negative effects, leading to anxiety, depression, and isolation. Addiction to social media, Abela added, has become a real issue that must be addressed with a sense of responsibility.
Abela urged people to always take care of one another, as this is how one could build a strong society that ensured everyone could reach their full potential.