Chronicle Editor
Flora Fadzai Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
AS the world celebrated World Mental Health Day on Monday, mental health experts in Bulawayo revealed that peer pressure and societal expectations are the major causes of mental health illness among youths, with some patients opening up on drug and substance abuse.
This year’s commemorations were held under the theme: “Make mental health and well-being for all a global priority.”
Several concerns have been raised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which indicated that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic at least one in eight people worldwide were suffering from mental health issues.
The WHO recognises World Mental Health Day on October 10 every year.
Bulawayo is facing a growing challenge of drug and substance abuse among the youth with Ingutsheni Central Hospital attending to at least 250 patients, mostly youths.
According to statistics from Active Youth Zimbabwe, a drug treatment and rehabilitation organisation, the average age of substance use initiation in the province is between 13 and 14 years.
The illegal practice has been worsened by the fact that there are no rehabilitation centres locally and addicts are likely to relapse even after treatment at Ingutsheni.
This comes at a time when Zimbabwe is working towards a drug-free society through a drug master plan which will help the country achieve Vision 2030. The master plan aims at dealing with drug and substance abuse in society
As part of celebrating World Mental Health Day, which is commemorated globally, a Chronicle news crew yesterday spoke to some mental health experts and patients to share their expertise and experiences.
World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.
It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organisation with members and contacts in more than 150 countries.
Renowned psychiatrist and Ingutsheni Central Hospital clinical director, Dr Wellington Ranga has said peer pressure and societal expectations are the major causes of mental health illness among youths with a majority of them falling into depression and anxiety.
Dr Ranga said when tracing the root cause of most mental health issues among youths, peer pressure is the leading cause when it comes to drug and substance abuse.
“Youths often listen to each other’s advice. This subsequently leads to them being pressurised to have whatever the next person has, and it is unfortunate because this generation lives through social media,” he said.
Dr Ranga said mental health issues should be prioritised in every society.
“Communities should protect children from mental health. Sadly, people are not dealing with mental health from the base since they believe that they are mentally fine as long as they are not seen moving around the streets naked,” he said.
The news crew also caught up with Mr Tinofara Foroma (32), a mental patient who is on the road to recovery from drug substance abuse.
He opened up, saying societal expectations led him to drug abuse.
“My first wife left me in 2011 and that really affected me such that I became depressed because I could not understand why she was not willing to iron out our differences” said Mr Foroma.
Given the societal perception on men when it comes to matters of the heart, Mr Foroma felt humiliated and ended up resorting to drugs to numb his pain of losing a partner.
He started using drugs in 2012, a year after his wife had left him.
“I became so addicted to drugs up to a point where my family had to take me to Ingutsheni in 2019. I spent a year at the institution and got discharged in 2020 when I had improved,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I relapsed again this year after losing my child. I was not able to emotionally deal with the pain, so I ended up turning to drugs because society expected me not to mourn my child in the manner I did.”
Tapiwanashe Masunungure, who is 16 years old, succumbed to peer pressure and ended up selling drugs.
“My friends used to sell drugs on behalf of someone in our neighbourhood. We were as young as 11 years old when we started. Initially, I was reluctant to sell drugs, but to peer pressure I ended up selling and ultimately started abusing drugs,” he said.
Tapiwanashe said he would become violent each time he did not smoke marijuana.
“When my parents noticed that my situation was getting out of hand, they brought me here. Had I not allowed myself to succumb to peer pressure, l would still be at school and not in this deplorable situation,” he said.
Sister Nothando Nyathi, who is a nurse at Ingutsheni Central Hospital, said: “Societal expectations and peer pressure among youths are causing high rates of depression.
Children should be taught to appreciate what they have because once they are depressed, they resort to drugs resulting in mental health issues.” -@flora_sibanda
Online Reporter