04 Mar 2020

Batswana have been urged to pay attention to mental health as it is an important component to good health and wellbeing.

Speaking during the mental health awareness campaign in Masunga recently, Mr Fidelis Machola, a retired educationalist said mental health should be treated the same way as both physical and spiritual health.

He observed that the topic on mental health was shunned upon by the general public due to the fact that society associated it with mental illness.

Mr Machola said although there were experts in the area of mental health, such expertise remained underutilised as a result of the stigma attached to the condition.

To this end, Mr Machola said it was fitting that campaign incorporated a wellness session termed ‘A walk against depression’ to raise awareness on depression and how it could be dealt with.

He indicated that depression was one of the silent killers that surfaced due to suppression of emotions and in some instances failure to address mental health problems on time.

Depression, he warned, could lead to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, and even drug abuse as a way of suppressing pain.

Dr Dominic Mukengeshai of Masunga Primary Hospital said mental health was multi-faceted subject that should be understood and differentiated from mental illness.

He said mental health did not mean that one was suffering from a mental illness, but rather it was a component of health and wellness like financial, spiritual and physical health.

Dr Mukengeshai said a breakdown in mental health could cause schizophrenia, multi personal disorder, depression and substance abuse, among others.

He highlighted that Botswana’s Vision 2036 advocated for good health and wellness as basic human right that needed to be addressed adequately.

He further stated that it was difficult to diagnose a person with a mental health deficiency just looking at them because it involved emotions that could be suppressed and altered.

The founder of Botswana Network for Mental Health, MS Charity Kennedy said it was high time the society opened up and address issues around mental health without the fear of being stigmatised.

She stated that each person had a mental health state to take care of just as people paid attention to their physical health by exercising.

Ms Kennedy stated that one could never heal from a traumatic experience without talking to a counsellor, hence the need for the society to involve the service of counsellors in clinics and hospitals to deal with the condition.

“Let’s make counselling a lifestyle not a reaction to help relief us from burdens and stress rather than bottling emotions that may lead to serious consequences such as depression, suicide, gender based violence and even murder,” she said. ENDS