Mental Health: A Call to Take it Seriously

Let me start this article with the disturbing fact that Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds according to World Health Organisation, WHO. In recent times, mental health awareness has gained a lot of grounds and is widely recognised as a condition that can affect anyone regardless of who or what they are. Yet, the reason for advocating for it has not been achieved. Before present day, it was something that was often brushed over because people who showed signs of it or came out to express their emotions were labeled weak and unfit for certain opportunities.

Notwithstanding the wide recognition and progress it has made, people who find themselves in that situation are still stigmatised, discriminated against, and teased. What a lot of us miss out on issues of mental health is that we make it seem like a matter of not being able to control emotions, it goes beyond just that. It is for this reason that men are unable to communicate what they are feeling for fear that they will be stigmatised.

It makes sense to advise people that we live in a harsh world where you have to arm yourself with metals (not literally) to enable you to live in a world like ours, but is it not also necessary to teach people compassion and kindness and that it is okay not to be okay sometimes? In an attempt to appear strong and unshaken, people end up being extremely toxic, bitter, and wicked.

In many African societies, mental health is misunderstood. On a spiritual level, religious fanatics may see mental diseases as the product of sin or weakness on the part of the individual or as the result of supernatural causes. Imagine being surrounded by people with this mentality, how will you openly seek help if you are going through some sort of mental health disturbance?

An estimated 3.8% of the population experience depression, including 5% of adults (4% among men and 6% among women), and 5.7% of adults older than 60 years. Approximately 280 million people in the world have depression (1). Depression is about 50% more common among women than among men. Worldwide, more than 10% of pregnant women and women who have just given birth experience depression (2). More than 700 000 people die due to suicide every year. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15–29-year-olds.

Although there are known, effective treatments for mental disorders, more than 75% of people in low- and middle-income countries receive no treatment (3). Barriers to effective care include a lack of investment in mental health care, lack of trained health-care providers and social stigma associated with mental disorders.(WHO 2023)

Children's Mental health

Children are usually relegated to the back when this topic pops up. It is as if they are not affected by this while forgetting that childhood traumas can lead to some adult mental breakdowns in the future. They are the voiceless and vulnerable and hence we must not overlook the fact that they also experience mental health issues.
Children face a unique set of challenges and stressors that can impact their mental health. Academic pressures to be as bright as their colleagues, family issues, and bullying at schools, yet their struggles often go unnoticed or are dismissed as "just a phase." The world is harsh enough for us and a simple act of kindness will do no wrong. That is not to suggest that love and kindness alone can solve this problem, no!. We need more education on it and it should be integrated into our school curricula if it is not there yet.

Men's Mental Health

How about men and their mental health? It is expected of men to be strong, stoic, and resilient, which can create significant barriers for them to seek help and openly discuss their mental well-being. Imagine a man approaches you and starts crying because he is having a tough problem at home that he is unable to solve or a young man who just finished his national service, is unable to secure a job and that is weighing him down so he confided in you, and along the process, he breaks down and cries. Personally, it is heartbreaking, but some people will view that young man as a weakling and someone who has to pull his weight. We have to understand that crying is a way of letting go of things that are pulling you down and sometimes a simple cry can make you stronger to continue. Not speaking for everyone.

Hopefully, things are changing around the narrative. More men find it easy to express their emotions. The consequences of not being able to communicate your emotions very well can result in a low quality of life and a more detrimental effect on some organs like the heart. Many men suffer in silence which later affects them in the future. One thing that can help with this is creating an environment that supports work-life balance, a safe environment where mental well-being is an everyday thing for everyone.

Women's mental health

"Women are too sensitive, too emotional, they overreact, they do not know how to control their emotions, they are weak," etc. Tell me what I have not mentioned among these descriptions that makes women's mental health not taken seriously. I cannot attest to it that there are women who sometimes pretend and use the thing of mental health as bait for attention, that notwithstanding, would you ignore the majority who are genuinely going through it?

In all this, there is a need for more investment to be done in mental health issues to raise more awareness, eradicate the stigma around it, and create an environment that supports mental health and well-being. We may have a long way to go when it comes to this but we are eventually making progress.