Mental illness still shrouded in secrecy
Valor Mental bursts lid open
Many Batswana don’t open up about their personal struggles and shy away from getting professional help despite all the talk around destigmatising mental illness.
This is the observation of mental health expert and director of Valor Mental, Charlotte SiyaRuwona.
May is marked as the month of awareness on Mental Health and Siya-Ruwona said there is need to amplify the message of mental consciousness, particularly in this day and age, where many people suffer from depression related to money, relationships and other socio-economic issues.
She said many Batswana still ‘die inside’ and don’t get help because there is still a shroud of shame and stigma around mental illness.
“Many Batswana don’t get help because they are not forthcoming about their problems and pretend to have it all together even when they are crumbling inside. But mental illness is a condition like any other”, she said.
The Francistown based activist said it is important to challenge the narrative and encourage conversations about mental illness and make it as ‘normal as discussing a headache’ because communication closes the gap in misunderstandings surrounding mental illness.
“We also need to show empathy and patience with those diagnosed with mental illness”. It is also important to talk to trusted loved ones or professionals and surround ourselves with the right type of people who wish us well, elevate us and help us evolve to a better place.
Siya-Ruwona said leaving persisting mental illness unattended could lead to a plethora of personal, economic and social problems that lead to deterioration of quality of life.
“Though manageable, if ignored, these mental health conditions can result in loss of income and employment, eventual judicial detention and the collapse of the family”, she said.
Siya-Ruwona said mental illness is not about someone walking, speaking alone or catching flies in the streets.
“Many people who appear ‘normal’ and ‘happy’ suffer from mental illness”, she said.
Siya-Ruwona started Valor after battling with mental illness herself, not understanding what could be wrong with her.
“I struggled for years with a condition that I could not understand. I reached a tipping point and finally had to seek help”, she said.
Following her diagnosis with bipolar disorder and anxiety in 2016, she made a conscious decision to open up to those around her about her condition.
“Much to my surprise, many people were ignorant about mental illness. I realised that mental illness actually affects a lot more people than we think, but because of the stigma and the social construct of a mentally ill person being one who is scruffy and talks to themselves on the streets, fanning flies and eating from dustbins, a large percentage of our population suffers in silence from one form of mental illness or the other: be it transient conditions treatable over a few months or chronic conditions that require a lifetime of support,” she said.