ZIMBABWE loses US$163 million annually due to undetected and untreated mental health disorders, chief among them being substance and alcohol abuse, a development likely to affect production and eventually the economy, an expert has said.
Commenting on the released Zimbabwe Mental Health Investment Case, Dr Gwaterera Jabangwe from the National University of Zimbabwe Applied Psychology department said the time had come for the country to consider intensive investments in mental health.
The initiative which was launched by the Ministry of Health and Child Care is part of efforts to boost the country’s national response strategy to mental health as Covid-19 brought to the fore the need to raise awareness on mental health.
Dr Jabangwe said mental health issues do not only affect individuals but families, communities, corporates and the country hence the need to invest in prevention and treatment as a matter of urgency.
“There is US$163 million that we lose yearly due to unscreened, untreated, unknown mental disorders, a majority emanating from drug and substance abuse. There is a direct healthcare loss of US$8,8 million emanating from workforce absenteeism as a result of mental illness and other illnesses,” said Dr Jabangwe.
“Basically what we are saying is in terms of abused substances or substance use disorders we need to look at the need to prevent the problem before it starts. We need to act now and start screening. We need to start with our primary schools and provide mental health literacy and mental education for all members of the public in the community.”
He said dealing with prevailing mental health disorders in the community will need a multi-disciplinary treatment strategy which includes psychotherapy and medication depending on the level of disease.
“In terms of screening, we need early interventions or early screening starting with the issue of understanding the burden and how many people are affected.
“We recently noticed that we are losing millions of dollars, money that people suffering from mental disorders use for healthcare, money lost by companies due to absenteeism by those suffering from drug and substance abuse.
“We also have to greatly invest in empowering communities, families and companies on how to support their loved ones who often relapse due to lack of support. This also includes well up families, and professionals who do not know how to treat someone with such disorders and they often demonise them, which affects the recovery rate.”
He added that a quarter of Zimbabweans in correctional services have committed sexual offences and a majority of those abuse alcohol which is a cause for concern.
“The Government should set aside a certain percentage of our budget to focus on drugs and substance abuse and we need a clear prevention strategy for all mental diseases. Corporates, development partners and even pharmaceuticals should also chip in and help in mobilising resources for the prevention strategy.”
Inter-ministerial Taskforce on Drug and Substance Abuse representative Mr Fanuel Dzoma said the prevalence of drug abuse is said to be at 57,1 percent among young people with crystal meth, cocaine, broncleer, marijuana and alcohol being the most commonly abused drugs and substances.
“Children as young as 10 years and adults well above 50 years of age are abusing drugs and substances,” he said.
Renowned psychiatrist and Ingutsheni clinical director Dr Wellington Ranga said there are many mental patients who suffer due to lack of support from families which makes it difficult for them to recover.
He said some patients at Ingutsheni have spent more than 30 years at the institution without any communication from their families. Dr Ranga said relatives dump their mentally ill and are not willing to bury them when they die, forcing the hospital to conduct paupers’ burials.
“When it comes to the stigma around mental health issues, I do not think we will ever get to a stage where we say it’s over based on our home setup nowadays. Long ago people had higher chances of surviving mental illnesses because we had extended family and no one was ever cast out as long as they had a family, community or even a village they came from,” said Dr Ranga.
He said people had become so individualistic that they do not care about the next person, especially if they develop a mental illness.
“Some people have been re-admitted five times as they fail to connect with families who often neglect them after they are discharged and they would rather live here and await their death under the care of our healthcare workers. – The Chronicle
