Lisa Hyper Starts New Year In Hospital, Her Resolution: ‘I Have To Stop Smoking Weed’

Dancehall artist Lisa Hyper spent the start of the year 2023 as a patient at the University Hospital of the West Indies. It is a sobering reality for the Sculpture singer who is determined to fulfill one specific new year resolution: stop smoking marijuana.

“Right now, the New Year ketch mi a UHWI, I don’t know how long I will be on this ward but when I get out, I am done with smoking,” she said. 

Her continued battle with substance abuse and mental health has forced Hyper to nix several dancehall events such as Fyah in Da Ville alongside Skeng, a two-week tour in England including her birthday party, and another show in Manchester.

“I would like to apologise to the promoters and to my fans, but my health struggles have pushed the situation beyond my control,” she said. 

In November, Lisa Hyper was admitted to a mental health facility in Florida, just a week after being baptized.

“I know it is the smoking of marijuana that keeps creating these problems. I want to conquer my problems, I don’t want to relapse, I really have to beat this thing now.”

Marijuana smoking has been known to exacerbate some mental health conditions such as bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, and depression. Studies have shown that substance abuse can trigger psychotic episodes. In Jamaica, psychosis is responsible for 106,674 medical visits to public health clinics in 2016, accounting for more than 80 percent of mental health public clinic visits islandwide.

A controversial and sometimes polarising figure, Lisa Hyper created a major furor online last year when she revealed a tattoo of male artist Dexta Daps’ name.

Speaking in a recent interview with Nikki Z on The Bridge 99 FM, Lisa Hyper admitted that mental health challenges ought not to be viewed with shame and even urged her fellow artists and creatives to seek professional help to deal with challenges such as depression, anxiety. bi-polar disorders and other personality disorders.

“When you have mental problems seek help; nothing is wrong with it. Mental heath (problems) – everybody guh through it. Me guh through it. Lisa Hype guh through. Suh oonu seek help. Don’t be too shame or full a pride or too much ego. Oonu seek help, especially di artiste,” she mused.

Mental illness is a serious problem, especially for young people. Depression is a leading cause of illness and disability among adolescents, and suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents. 1 in 5 youth worldwide will experience a mental illness before they turn 25 and about 70% of these disorders emerge by age 14 and often go undiagnosed for up to 10 years.

“I really want to become an advocate for mental wellness and maybe even one day, partner with the National Council on Drug Abuse, to help teens struggling with drug addictions;  I think it is a two-part problem that we need to address as a society,” she said. 

The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) in Jamaica was established in 1983 as a voluntary non- profit organization.

There is considerable stigma associated with mental illness in Jamaica, often leading to avoidance, rejection, and even victimization. According to the 2017 Global Burden of Disease database, about 3 percent of Jamaicans have a depressive disorder, while 4.1 percent have an anxiety disorder.

Lisa Hyper is known for songs such as Sculpture, Body Fit, Pretty Butterfly, Wine for Me, Champion Bubbler, and Bills featuring Gaza Kim.