Mental health deeply personal for Suzette Buchanan
Bellevue CEO pushing new conversation on psychological wellness
Published:Sunday | March 8, 2026 | 12:05 AMKrysta Anderson - Staff Reporter
On a typical day, Suzette Buchanan starts with an inspiring self-care routine. This includes early-morning exercise and starting the day with a healthy meal.
A mother of two, she says her son and daughter are her reasons for waking up each day, and her patients and staff occupy a very special place in her heart.
From home, the chief executive officer of Bellevue Hospital Jamaica, travels to what she calls her home away from home. There, she spends her days empowering and motivating others, educating the public about myths and stigmas surrounding mental health, and offering warm words to patients and staff alike.
“I bet you didn’t know that ‘Bellevue’ means beautiful view,” Buchanan told Sunday Lifestyle with a smile as she gave the team a tour of the psychiatric facility.
Often overshadowed by historical stigma and negative public perception, she said these views do not reflect the institution’s historical purpose. “Bellevue was designed to help those who are dealing with mental health issues come to a proper diagnosis and better manage their symptoms.”
With the gift of gab, Buchanan’s hearty greetings echo through the hospital’s halls and open spaces. Addressing everyone pleasantly by name was something deeply ingrained by her grandmother at an early age.
Growing up in rural St Mary, she recalls a time when life was simple and joyful. Buchanan would spend those days playing, climbing trees, enjoying the surrounding flora, and carrying out domestic chores. “I would feed the chickens, and I had my own goat to take care of,” she added.
She later moved to Kingston to live with her mother, where she attended St Jude’s Primary, and later, Holy Childhood High School. Having started a bachelor’s degree at the Caribbean School of Media and Communication at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, in 2000, the degree would remain incomplete, as well as other scholastic pursuits. She ultimately left the programme in the same year. During that time, she was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
“I had done a few courses in between and had even migrated to Australia at one point, where I did a business course there as well. After collecting all of those credits over the years, I got the opportunity to do my master’s degree in international business with law. I also recently did a course at Harvard University since I’ve been at Bellevue Hospital in mental health leadership,” Buchanan shared, explaining that her accumulated credits and work experience enabled her to bypass the traditional bachelor’s route to pursue her master’s in 2018, completing the degree in 2021.
Mental health advocacy came into play because it is an issue that she holds near and dear to her heart. “Mental health advocacy is everything for me,” she said, adding, “My daughter was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 13 years ago, among some other mental health conditions, and just seeing how long the stigma is in Jamaica, and also having the opportunity to live in Australia and making that comparison was mind-blowing. So I decided it was time to put on my boots and big-woman clothes and get to work,” she revealed.
There is no health without good mental health, she said. With the stigma in Jamaica still prevalent, she decided that it was time to sensitise people and destigmatise the way people view and treat mental health conditions. “There are still a lot of persons who don’t understand that the same rule which applies to breast cancer also applies to mental health. Early detection is very important, and also, early detection saves lives. It saved mine, and it can save yours.”
Her reality, since walking through the doors of Bellevue Hospital in August 2022, is that there is a need for more education. Conversations with patients and residents further strengthened that conviction.
Trying every means she could to appeal to the public, she found that people did not begin taking notice until she began posting bits on social media and using laughter as the best medicine to bring about awareness and cure the stigma behind mental health.
Her social media skits, which addressed several mental health issues and topics such as abuse, soon gained popularity among fans. “My intention is not to be an influencer, but I have the talent. And because I have the talent, I am going to use what I have to reach the Jamaican people. So that’s pretty much where it all started,” she said.
Buchanan continued: “At the end of the day, etched in the back of my memory is always my beautiful daughter and the fact that she has been living with these mental health conditions, and she is living a healthy life. If that is her story, then it can be many Jamaican stories. I want to tell the story. And I want to be a part of the story.”
As a result of her passion for mental health, the hospital and others with psychiatric arms have been experiencing a shift in public conversations, with an increase evident in the number of persons checking themselves in for evaluation.
“Our admission has increased by 16, almost 17 per cent. And that is not very often at Bellevue. We’re having a lot of people coming in who are being diagnosed for the first time. And based on my own experiences, when I speak to other hospitals, they are saying, ‘Listen, there is an increase in the number of persons coming and inquiring and [psychiatric]-related patients coming into the hospital’,” she added.
When asked what this year’s International Women’s Day theme - ‘Give to Gain’ - means to her, Buchanan got emotional during her response. “I have lived a life of giving. And yes, I’ve had some challenges in my life, but I’ve gained far more than I’ve given. With mental health, you have to be prepared to give more than you’ll ever gain, and that’s my mindset. When I speak about giving, I’m not talking about just giving something physical, but I’m talking about giving kind words and respect. Those things help your mental health,” said Buchanan.
She continued: “Give a hand to the neighbour. Ask him or her, are you okay? Those with mental health issues require collaboration. It takes a village, the collaborative work of a community, to be healthy.”