Shining Light
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 8, 2024
- 406
- 523
Mental health awareness still lags behind, leaving many people making impulsive decisions such as committing suicide. Since the beginning of this year, numerous suicide cases have increased, and we often don't fully understand why or how this happens.
Our community needs to recognize the importance of maintaining mental health and the significant damage it can cause to ourselves and those around us if no action is taken. If you know a friend struggling, help by suggesting options, talking to them, and exchanging ideas.
Sometimes people regret not talking more or paying attention before their loved ones actually committed suicide. When everything seems wrong in life, it is easy for anyone to get suicidal thoughts and give up. By being with them, talking, and encouraging them, we can still give people hope and help them find a better purpose for themselves.
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It has been disclosed that people under the age of 24 are at a higher risk of developing mental health issues. Dr Suluma Aslan, a medical expert on mental health at Mirembe National Mental hospital said that 1 in 7 children and adolescents in Sub-Saharan countries struggle with mental health issues.
According to 2019 data from the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in every 8 people in the world has mental health issues. In Tanzania, 5 out of 100,000 people have committed suicide out of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, anger and drug abuse in the last five years, statistics have shown. Dr Aslan mentioned the youth to be at greater risk of being exposed to it as marked by several symptoms of mental breakdown.
“This age group is of greater risk since it is when a child develops cognitive and behavioural awareness as well as response to the environment. People who grew up under strict parental rule tend to develop anxiety as they lack the necessary self-esteem and self-confidence needed to speak before people,” she said.
Roselyne Malenya, a psychologist from Mirembe National Hospital explained how poor parental guidance has triggered an increase in mental breakdowns, especially among children. This has exposed children to experience brutal abuse from those who they spend a lot of time with.
“It gets scarier as children experience beatings, sexual harassment and sodomy from those who have been entrusted with them. Most of them are close friends, relatives and trusted neighbours which makes it hard for the victim to speak out and be believed. They often swallow the painful experiences in silence, this leads to serial development of mental health issues in individuals,” says Roselyne.
Depression, self-isolation and attention disorders are other symptoms developed in a person with mental disorders as explained by Teddy John, a psychologist at Inspire Better Education in Tanzania Psychologists organization.
Teddy listed the environment as a contributing factor to mental health disorders by 75 percent as it is where children imitate the behaviours they practice. Schools, religious institutes and streets which are highly populated consist of interactions where a child can adapt to any behaviour.
“A child who grew up in a calm environment is more likely to develop better mental stability than the one who has gone through many places which makes it difficult to cope and maintain character. A good character is built out of good guidance and proper morals but preserved by the consistency of maintaining environmental stability as a child grows,” she said.
She further elaborated on the implications brought along by mental health issues in society from an individual level to nationwide. Teddy pointed out how mental health problems were dragging back socio-economic developments if serious measures were not undertaken to deal with them.
“People with mental breakdowns are likely to have poor work production and low academic performances at school. Once this person gets married, there are low chances of having a healthy relationship with their spouse due to the trauma experienced in childhood. A leader who has mental disorders can hardly level up to guide through and accomplish the goals designed. Mental disorder creates gaps in multiple aspects of life,” she added.
“As a person takes time to treat and heal from physical wounds on the outside, it is also important for a person with mental disorders to make time for treatment. The medical assistance provided by specialists such as psychotherapists will help a person heal for individual wellbeing and for the sake of others around them,” she said.
Security forces
Police forces have joined hands with the efforts initiated to promote mental health welfare in the community as well. Inspector Verediana Mlimba from Dodoma social welfare says that through the promotion of mental health awareness it will be easier for people to develop skills to identify those with mental disorders.
“It all starts with an evil thought before a person tries to commit a crime. They develop negative thought which then builds into intentions to hurt others. This will help consolidate the safety of an individual person as one will be able to note the preliminary behaviours of an individual with a mental breakdown that intends on hurting others,” said Inspector Mlimba.
Source: The Citizen 2022
Our community needs to recognize the importance of maintaining mental health and the significant damage it can cause to ourselves and those around us if no action is taken. If you know a friend struggling, help by suggesting options, talking to them, and exchanging ideas.
Sometimes people regret not talking more or paying attention before their loved ones actually committed suicide. When everything seems wrong in life, it is easy for anyone to get suicidal thoughts and give up. By being with them, talking, and encouraging them, we can still give people hope and help them find a better purpose for themselves.
=========
It has been disclosed that people under the age of 24 are at a higher risk of developing mental health issues. Dr Suluma Aslan, a medical expert on mental health at Mirembe National Mental hospital said that 1 in 7 children and adolescents in Sub-Saharan countries struggle with mental health issues.
According to 2019 data from the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in every 8 people in the world has mental health issues. In Tanzania, 5 out of 100,000 people have committed suicide out of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, anger and drug abuse in the last five years, statistics have shown. Dr Aslan mentioned the youth to be at greater risk of being exposed to it as marked by several symptoms of mental breakdown.
“This age group is of greater risk since it is when a child develops cognitive and behavioural awareness as well as response to the environment. People who grew up under strict parental rule tend to develop anxiety as they lack the necessary self-esteem and self-confidence needed to speak before people,” she said.
Roselyne Malenya, a psychologist from Mirembe National Hospital explained how poor parental guidance has triggered an increase in mental breakdowns, especially among children. This has exposed children to experience brutal abuse from those who they spend a lot of time with.
“It gets scarier as children experience beatings, sexual harassment and sodomy from those who have been entrusted with them. Most of them are close friends, relatives and trusted neighbours which makes it hard for the victim to speak out and be believed. They often swallow the painful experiences in silence, this leads to serial development of mental health issues in individuals,” says Roselyne.
Depression, self-isolation and attention disorders are other symptoms developed in a person with mental disorders as explained by Teddy John, a psychologist at Inspire Better Education in Tanzania Psychologists organization.
Teddy listed the environment as a contributing factor to mental health disorders by 75 percent as it is where children imitate the behaviours they practice. Schools, religious institutes and streets which are highly populated consist of interactions where a child can adapt to any behaviour.
“A child who grew up in a calm environment is more likely to develop better mental stability than the one who has gone through many places which makes it difficult to cope and maintain character. A good character is built out of good guidance and proper morals but preserved by the consistency of maintaining environmental stability as a child grows,” she said.
She further elaborated on the implications brought along by mental health issues in society from an individual level to nationwide. Teddy pointed out how mental health problems were dragging back socio-economic developments if serious measures were not undertaken to deal with them.
“People with mental breakdowns are likely to have poor work production and low academic performances at school. Once this person gets married, there are low chances of having a healthy relationship with their spouse due to the trauma experienced in childhood. A leader who has mental disorders can hardly level up to guide through and accomplish the goals designed. Mental disorder creates gaps in multiple aspects of life,” she added.
“As a person takes time to treat and heal from physical wounds on the outside, it is also important for a person with mental disorders to make time for treatment. The medical assistance provided by specialists such as psychotherapists will help a person heal for individual wellbeing and for the sake of others around them,” she said.
Security forces
Police forces have joined hands with the efforts initiated to promote mental health welfare in the community as well. Inspector Verediana Mlimba from Dodoma social welfare says that through the promotion of mental health awareness it will be easier for people to develop skills to identify those with mental disorders.
“It all starts with an evil thought before a person tries to commit a crime. They develop negative thought which then builds into intentions to hurt others. This will help consolidate the safety of an individual person as one will be able to note the preliminary behaviours of an individual with a mental breakdown that intends on hurting others,” said Inspector Mlimba.
Source: The Citizen 2022
