Fardous Henry, a mental illness survivor now pursuing medicine at Upper Nile University, has recalled how she battled the sickness for three months.
Fardous, who comes from Yirol of Lakes State, said the problem started in 2015 when she was 17 years old after the completion of her secondary school certificate in the now Ruweng Administrative Area.
She told The City Review that the problem started after developing stress for failing to report to the university despite having passed her secondary school examinations.
‘‘I could see my friends going to join the university and for me, I remained at home though I had much interest to studies. I was thinking about reaching the university,” she said.
Fardous said she had to stay at home for one full year because her guardian could not afford to pay her fees at the university due to a crisis in the country.
“I was supposed to go to Egypt and nobody could stand with me because I lost my father in the war. I could not go because [I could not afford] an air ticket.
I was staying with my relative and it was very difficult for them to get the amount,” she recollected.
She said the problem dragged until 2016 when she started feeling unwell.
‘‘I felt sick. It started like malaria and I ended up mentally ill,” she added.
Fardous, who underwent medical treatment at Juba Teaching Hospital, said some drugs were not available at the government health facility and the family had to buy them from the chemists.
The 23-year-old is now in her third year of university studies.
“Somebody who is suffering from mental illness should be taken to Juba Teaching Hospital because I received my treatment there and I am normal,” she said.
Instant change felt
“I was suffering from mental illness but now I am a medical student at Upper Nile University. The way I talk and the way I think has changed,” Fardous said.
She was speaking during the commemoration of the International Day of Mental Health at Juba Teaching Hospital last week.
There are about 56 children between 14 to 16 years currently undergoing mental treatment at Juba Teaching Hospital, according to health officials at the facility.
One hundred others are moving from home to receive treatment at the psychiatric department in the hospital.
Mental illness is a health problem that affects how a person thinks, behaves, feels, and interacts with other people. It is also called a mental disorder.
The Head of Psychology and Psychiatry at the Juba Teaching Hospital Emmanuel Duku Philip last week said the mental problem is very common in both adolescents and adults in Juba.
He appealed to the government to beef up resources to support psychiatric and psychological departments.
Director-General for Juba Teaching Hospital, Dr Frederick Khamis Tawad said mental health should become a priority in all institutions including private and government institutions.
He said the illness affects everybody since the human body is controlled by the help of the mind that requires more support in the department.