Mental health is not a political slur
- Mar 18
- 3 min read
When politics trivialises mental health, everyone suffers. Mental health remains a stark reality, even among children and young adolescents. Recent data indicates that more than one in six people in Malta, roughly 120,000 citizens, live with a mental health condition, with anxiety and depression being the most common.
The general election is on the horizon. Before emotions rise and tensions heighten, may I suggest we avoid using mental health as a political slur.
Using mental health as a political slur designed to belittle and discredit one’s opponent is not only disparaging but it also harms the very people society ought to protect. It shifts debate away from the exchange of ideas and, instead, weaponises vulnerability. Sadly, in doing so, it not only reinforces stigma around mental health but also deepens the anguish of those who silently struggle with it every day.
Regrettably, this is not the first time political candidates have used mental health to attack their opponents. US President Donald Trump repeatedly labelled rivals with terms implying psychological deficiency. He called Kamala Harris “mentally impaired” and referred to Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe” to suggest cognitive decline.
Malta has not been immune to such political slurs either. The recent social media comment by Mqabba’s Labour deputy mayor, Jonathan Dingli, suggesting that Alex Borg “ought to prepare to go to Ward 10” was not only offensive and in bad taste but also profoundly injurious. His remarks may have since been overshadowed by other news and forgotten but the damage was done.
Ward 10, as it was then known at Mount Carmel Hospital, was a ward for acute psychiatric patients before its closure in 2005. For many families, Ward 10 symbolises moments of profound vulnerability, psychological crisis and deep despair experienced by their loved ones.
To invoke such a place as a political taunt is to trivialise that trauma and send a deeply troubling message: that mental health is something to mock and ridicule, rather than something that should be met with compassion, understanding and care.
Although some people in Malta may prefer to ignore it, mental health remains a stark reality, even among children and young adolescents.
Recent data indicates that more than one in six people in Malta, roughly 120,000 citizens, live with a mental health condition, with anxiety and depression being the most common. Some local research further suggests that one quarter of those under the age of 14 are at risk of developing a mental health disorder.
In addition, hospital figures from 2024 show that more than 2,200 people were admitted to emergency departments due to acute mental health crises. That same year, Malta registered 28 suicides, 25 of them men, highlighting how stigma may deter people, particularly men, from seeking help.
Mental health does not exist in a vacuum. It is rather the tip of an iceberg and the outcome of other underlying issues, both on a personal and national/international level.
Our current economic model, embraced and enabled by the Labour government, is grounded in quantity rather than quality.
As a result, rapid population growth, relentless construction, mounting traffic congestion, a lack of open spaces, over-tourism and the constant pressure to produce and consume have fostered a ‘rat race’ culture.
Although the government boasts about a strong GDP, it fails to acknowledge the consequences. A society that is permanently ‘on edge’ due to these pressures inevitably has an emotional and mental bill to settle. Embracing an economic model that intensifies stress, congestion and environmental degradation while simultaneously boasting about the nation’s well-being is surely a double standard.
While we often speak about mental health awareness, organising campaigns and publicly acknowledging the stigma that discourages people from seeking help, when it becomes politically convenient, the slur resurfaces.
Malta deserves a political culture that debates vigorously while respecting human dignity. When society mocks mental health, it reveals something about its priorities. It suggests we still struggle to treat psychological suffering with the same seriousness as physical ailments.
Mental health affects families across all political divides, social statuses, races, religions and genders. It is a fundamental human condition. If we truly aspire to be a compassionate and forward-looking society, as we claim, then we must walk the talk, defending that principle consistently, without fear or favour.
I hope that, during the forthcoming election campaign, candidates and their supporters exercise restraint and choose their words carefully. Anything less risks betraying those who are most in need of our solidarity.
(This article was published on Times of Malta – 18 March, 2026)