Miss Namibia 2018, Selma Kamanya in partnership with NDTC and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare launch the Mental Health Programme on the 14th September 2018.
The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is “Young people and Mental Health in a Changing World.”
World Mental Health Day will be commemorated on 10 October 2018.
One would ask: why choose such a theme?
Maybe Minister Tjekero Tweya’s statement when he announced that Cabinet had approved Namibia’s Mental Health Bill in 2017 answers the above question.
Minister Tweya said: “We have a sick society. Many times, we think that all of us are normal, but we are not.”
The World Health Organisation figures for October 2017 shows that one person out of four in the world are affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives.
The same organisation says that about 450 million people were in 2017 suffering from various mental disorders.
In Namibia alone, more than 8 000 people were treated for mental illnesses in 2015.
One would also ask why focus on the youth?
Apart from the youth being the leaders and citizens of tomorrow, they are growing up in a different environment where there are no support structures such as family, community and even national programmes that foster mental health.
The youth are also exposed to various forms of social media where they meet and interact with people from other cultures. With broken family structures and dysfunctional communities, the youth seek solace and comfort in drugs and alcohol.
You may not believe it, but WHO and various studies done by experts show that: 20% of adolescents may experience a mental health problem in any given year; 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24; 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem, yet 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.
The changing times that have brought up urbanisation, social media, peer pressure, poverty, unemployment, and violence contribute significantly to mental health problems in the youth.
Apart from these, humiliation and the feeling of being unappreciated, unloved and having no value also lead to mental health problems.
Above all, the society’s response to mental health problems can either lessen or worsen the situation.
In times gone by, people with mental health problems were, either isolated, beaten, jailed or killed because they were considered as a curse.
Today, however, the society should provide life skills and psychosocial support in schools and community settings.
There should be ties strong ties between the youth and their families to quickly and swiftly detect mental health issues and manage them.
Miss Namibia 2018, Selma Kamanya said part of her social responsibility would be to help the youth live a healthy mental life. This she will do by working together with various stakeholders to inform and educate the youth about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.
Kamanya will also visit schools to discuss social problems such as peer pressure that can affect our youth’s mental health problems.
Above all, Kamanya will work with professionals in the mental health field to see how best we can end stigmatisation and how to reintegrate the youth and all those having mental health problems.
Mental Health is a programme that does not receive a lot of attention. I am pleased that Miss Namibia 2018, Selma Kamanya selected Mental Health as her drive to assist our youth. I like to call upon the Namibian Nation to reflect on issues of Mental Health and to start telling ourselves that we are all potential clients to end up in a Mental Health Institution. Research has shown that the most stressed people are those who are wealthy, because their problems are countless. In short depression and street are also part of Mental Health illness, lets us start preparing ourselves mentally and every Namibian should start looking at the issue of Mental Health as condition like any other condition, Said the Deputy Minister of Health Hon. Juliet Kavetuna
City Police Patrol On the night of the 14th September 2018 from 19h00 to 24h00 Miss Namibia 2018, City Police headed by Senior Superintendent Gerry Shikesho, NDTC, Media Partners patrolled the City of Windhoek in assistance to combat against crime.
Superintendent Shikesho said his aim is to see more hangout places with zero alcohol consumption like Shangai Restaurant in Katutura. This will assist in the reduction of alcohol and drug abuse amongst the youth at the same time reducing crime.
The group visited the late Avihe’s family to express their condolences. Avihe’s passing not only impacted the family, but the Namibian Nation at large, said Kamanya. She further asked the Namibian Nation to continue giving a hand in help towards Avihe’s family, and called upon psychologist to come forward and assist where possible.