tawandamusarurwa
Fatima Bulla-Musakwa
AFTER losing her job at a local bank in 2015, following an infamous Labour Court ruling on the Zuva Petroleum case, which confirmed the right of the employer to terminate an employment contract on three months’ notice, Ms Pamhidzai Togara began noticing that something was wrong with her.
For Ms Togara (46), the sudden loss of employment triggered a serious mental breakdown that left many of her close relatives concerned.
Unbeknown to her and her family, she had developed a mental health condition known as bipolar disorder, which is associated with episodes of mood swings, ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.
“It took about two years to confirm that I had bipolar disorder,” she told The Sunday Mail.
“Prior to the mental breakdown, I was working for a bank.
“When we were retrenched, we had just returned to work from the weekend and were told that we had been sacked.
“So, that really affected me and it sent me into deep depression.”
She would have episodes where she felt severely depressed and would just sit alone for hours on end.
In the blink of an eye, she would be hyperactive, moving her furniture around and often talking to herself.
She was also losing weight at an alarming rate. In a matter of months, her weight had gone down from around 65 kilogrammes to 54kg.
Her husband struggled to cope with whatever it was that was afflicting his wife.
Two years later, their marriage broke down, after 22 years together.
Doctors could not put a finger on exactly what troubled the mother of two.
She underwent several medical tests, including blood pressure and cardiovascular examinations, but to no avail.
Out of desperation, she was taken to faith healers in the hope of finding a cure for her ailment.
Still, she did not recover.
Her condition deteriorated sometime in 2018.
She would “hear” songs and voices in her head telling her that “judgement day” was coming.
Oftentimes, she would wake her family up in the middle of the night, while singing at the top of her voice about the coming judgement day.
She also began having strange dreams that led her into believing that she was under some sort of spiritual attack and needed exorcism.
Her predicament was made worse by her family, who knew nothing about mental health diseases.
However, her breakthrough came after yet another serious breakdown, which prompted her family to take her to a health centre in Chitungwiza.
Fortunately for her, staff at the clinic had undergone mental health training.
“When I told the psychiatrist that I was feeling cold, my mum and sister laughed,” she said.
“But the psychiatrist told me I had severe depression.
“He said I would be assisted.
“I felt a burden being lifted from my shoulders on hearing this person telling me that they had a solution to something that had troubled me for so long.
“Since 2020, I have not had a relapse and I am a living example of how mental disorders can be managed.”
With the assistance of a psychiatrist, psychologist and a peer support group — Mangwanani Home of Hope — Ms Togara is now leading a normal life.
Zimbabwe has a gaping shortage of mental health specialists, making it difficult for people with mental disorders to access their services.
To make matters worse, psychiatrists charge upwards of US$120 per examination or treatment session, a fee very few can afford.
This situation is further compounded by cultural and religious beliefs, which maintain that mental health disorders are “foreign” conditions.
As a result, many who suffer from such conditions are often neglected or accused of practising witchcraft.
Others who develop such conditions end up resorting to illicit drugs and alcohol to help manage their conditions.
Seeking medical help is largely an afterthought.
Mrs Angelica Mkorongo, founder of Mangwanani Home of Hope, is also a survivor of a debilitating mental health disorder.
She overcame a condition known as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
OCD is characterised by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead to compulsive behaviour.
This condition comes with harmful effects that may include thoughts of harming one’s loved ones, wanting to be intimate with children or a person of the same gender.
Mrs Mkorongo, who at one point turned to alcohol to try to manage the condition, lamented society’s lack of understanding and discriminatory attitudes towards people struggling with mental health disorders.
“The head also suffers just like any other part of the body,” she said.
“Unfortunately, mental disorders are regarded as something foreign.
“Even the way our culture or religious beliefs informs how to handle people with mental disorders is not right.”
Her peer support group is engaged in community mental health programmes to raise awareness on mental health disorders and assist those affected.
It is also advocating inclusive language towards people with mental disorders.
“Terms never to use when referring to a person with a lived experience, which are disrespectful and promote discrimination, include crazy, mad, insane, lunatic and disturbed,” said Mrs Mkorongo.
“Just like we don’t refer a person with high blood pressure by that condition, the same should not be done for persons suffering from a mental health problem.”
Experts say the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the prevalence of mental health disorders in the country.
◆ Twitter: @BullaFatima
Online Reporter