Chronicle Editor
Andile Tshuma
Mental wellness among women has become a public health concern that begs attention, especially considering the rising cases of depression, violent crimes and suicide.
The headlines this week were bloody as our sister paper The Herald carried a mind-troubling story of a Chivhu woman who beheaded her four children and set her house on fire and then allegedly tried to commit suicide, before she then handed herself over to the police.
While her actions are condemned and inexcusable as they have led to tragic loss of innocent lives, they are a sign something was not okay.
Logic would say that the nurturing nature of motherhood would propel a mother to be a protector and to ensure the safety of her children at all times.
It is expected that mothers will go at lengths and do the impossible to protect their offspring, taking risks and going through tribulations just to allow their children a little comfort and protection from the harsh world.
While it is earth shattering to find a story of a mother killing not one, not two but four children in cold blood, it is no longer as rare, it is slowly becoming a ‘common’ occurrence and it is a signifier that interventions are needed to address the situation.
According to reports on the killing of the four children, when the woman’s husband left for work in the morning, the suspect locked the children aged nine, five, three and one in the house.
She allegedly took a rope and tied the two elder children before slitting open their throats with a knife.
She is then said to have gone on to kill the other two children with the knife before setting the house on fire.
She is suspected of having drank some poisonous substance, in an attempt to take her own life. However, she handed herself to the police.
This makes for a sad, scary reading about things happening in society. It all points to a problem that can no longer go unnoticed.
Zimbabwe has the 13th highest suicide rate in the world, with cases on the rise, making suicide the 14th leading cause of death in the country. Violent crimes and crimes of passion are also on the increase, while mental health problems are also on the rise for both men and women.
A growing number of people are resorting to suicide and violent crimes due to social pressures in Bulawayo and across the country, as police have bemoaned the high rate of suicide and violence cases in the city, also affecting juveniles.
People normally consider taking their lives or harming loved ones when undergoing social pressures, when they feel like failures or even when their families break down. It is therefore important for families to be on the lookout for such violent or suicidal tendencies as some of these can be prevented.
Women in the country and globally go through a lot of tribulations in their loves but few are able to speak out about it.
Few are able to find people they can trust to share their problems or safe spaces where they can report abuse, and failure to get help may increase anxiety levels, could increase depression and cause other mental health problems which can make them end up being violent to others or even suicidal.
Sometimes women can be toxic themselves, and fail to fit in with others, and when they feel rejected by society, they can also exhibit the violent and suicidal symptoms.
It is important that societies have more spaces that are able to help women and action must be taken to ensure that women know about these places that offer help they need.
Sometimes small issues which could have been rectified may end up escalating and resulting in tragic situations, as a result of failure to manage mental health.
Communities must be on the lookout for depression or other psychiatric issues that cause acts of violence such as self-harming, or hurting others.
According to medical experts, serious cases of depression can be effectively controlled with modern drugs and other medical techniques.
However, it is necessary that those who are drifting into suicidal depression are identified and referred to competent medical practitioners or psychiatry specialists as soon as possible.
The WHO 2018 report outlines that cultural stigma surrounding mental health is one of the chief obstacles that hinder people from admitting that they need help.
The report goes further to say that many feel embarrassed to seek treatment, which often leads to some of them contemplating suicide.
Family members must offer support when they note suspicious trends that may point to a family member going through depression.
Another way to do away with stigma around mental health is to treat our mental health facilities differently.
Sometimes families are to blame.
Once someone has mental health problems, they are dumped at facilities such as Ingutsheni Central hospital and left there, with nobody caring to go and visit and hold their hand in their recovery process, yet seeing familiar people and surroundings may help quicken someone’s recovery journey.
The more we treat our mental health centres as places of hope and refuge and not places to go and leave social outcasts, we could change the tide on social perceptions on mental health. One may consider seeking help and not taking their life.
No one is immune from going through mental health episodes or depression. We must all be ready to extend a helping hand to one of us in need, as we may need the same assistance tomorrow.
There should be no shame in seeking mental health services and seeking help when one is depressed. Suicide is not the answer as it only transfers the pain to loved ones left behind. — @andile_tshuma
Online Reporter