AUBYN Foundation pushes for greater mental health support

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The struggles behind success are not always visible, and entrepreneur Aubyn Henry believes more must be done to ensure Jamaicans facing mental health challenges do not suffer in silence. Henry, executive chairman of the AUBYN Foundation, is using the organisation to champion greater mental health awareness and suicide prevention, an issue he says has been shaped by his own experience of losing friends to suicide. According to Henry, outward success can sometimes mask the personal battles individuals are facing, whether they are entrepreneurs building businesses, professionals advancing their careers, athletes pursuing excellence, students chasing their dreams or parents carrying the weight of responsibility. “Behind every achievement is a human being. A person can appear strong, successful and in control while quietly carrying challenges no one sees. Success does not make anyone immune to pain, and asking for help is not weakness,” Henry said. For the entrepreneur, however, addressing mental health must extend beyond raising awareness. He believes greater emphasis must be placed on compassion, accessible support and creating environments in which people feel comfortable speaking about what they are experiencing. “Having experienced the loss of friends to suicide, I understand that this is not just a statistic. It represents real people, families and communities affected by pain that is often hidden,” Henry said. “We must create spaces where people feel heard, supported and encouraged to seek help before they reach a place of hopelessness.” It is against that background that the AUBYN Foundation is working towards the development of a mental health clinic aimed at expanding access to support and providing a safe space for individuals seeking guidance and care. Henry believes initiatives of this nature can form part of a wider approach to suicide prevention, particularly through early intervention and ensuring that people know support is available before they reach a crisis point. For the AUBYN Foundation, the message is a simple but important one: the accomplishments people display publicly do not always tell the full story of what they may be experiencing privately. The organisation is therefore encouraging greater compassion and more open conversations around mental health, with the hope that those struggling will feel empowered to seek assistance. Sometimes, Henry believes, one conversation can be the beginning of hope.