People with disabilities sidelined in mental health awareness
The South Sudanese Union of People with Disabilities has lamented increased cases of depression amongst its members, which it attributes to the impacts of conflict and lack of medication.
The Chairperson for Equatoria people living with hearing impairment, Joseph Loro, said people with mental health have been neglected as there is no sensitization.
“Mental illness is too common in our society and some think we are mad, especially when we depend on our interpreters for training on mental health, and because of this, we are always left out,” he said.
He added that they only receive one-day training, which is not enough for them to reach out to people living with disabilities.
However, he advised the communities to take care of people with mental health problems to monitor their progress.
“We don’t need to conclude that so-and-so is useless; they should be taken to the doctor,” Loro stressed.
Loro, who is himself aurally impaired, said it is sometimes hard for people to notice the kinds of hardships they go through because most of them are incapable of expressing themselves normally.
“If proper counselling is done, many can return to normalcy [and] they [can] stay with us in the community. We want the people with disabilities to be brought aboard so that they can be helped, “he said.
Epilepsy main problem
Catherine Visenso Lolica, a visually impaired person and a social worker with OVCI Usratuna—an organisation that helps people living with disabilities—said Epilepsy is one of the main causes of mental illness among people with disabilities.
She said people with epilepsy have been sidelined and chained with a lot of misconceptions.
“While people think epilepsy is caused by witchcraft, a lot of misconceptions have been shared. People resort to prayers to chase away the demons. “With epilepsy, you can marry and still give birth to children without epilepsy,” Visenso said.
She advised that those with mental health issues are part and parcel of society, and they need to be encouraged by including them in activities and empowering them through education, health and livelihood.
However, she added that it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of people living with mental illness and called for support to enable them to conduct a survey.
“We don’t know the exact number of people registered with mental illness, but what I know, according to WHO, is that 3.5 million people are affected by mental illness. If there is support, we can be able to assess people with mental illness, “Visenso said.
Visenso believes that if people are made aware of mental health issues, helping them would be the best way.
“Massive awareness through radio and social media should be done because many people do not know. “There [are] people who are isolated in the community, and through this, we shall be able to identify many with mental health [issues],” she said.
Musa William, an inclusion officer at Humanity and Inclusion, which is a local organisation supporting people with disabilities, said they provide capacity building and awareness sessions to enlighten them.
He revealed that most people were being isolated, imprisoned, or chained in society, but argued that it was not the best way for people with mental illness.
“The best way is to identify them earlier for counselling. Most cases come due to too much depression, losing dear ones, drug abuse, sickness resulting into mental illness,” he said.
He called on anyone with mental illness in the community or in their family to report to the nearby offices to receive counselling upon realising some kind of abnormality.
Last week, about 35 people living with disabilities from Juba City Council attended a one-day workshop on awareness of mental health. Amongst the beneficiaries of the blocks were those from Juba, Kator, and Munuki blocks.
Suicide is believed to be the main result of mental illness, which has already claimed a large number of people in the country, but the deputy police spokesperson, Brig. James Dak, said they are working on official figures on suicide cases.
“Cases of suicide are on the rise due to mental illness, poverty, cultural stigma, taboos, norms and conflict triggering most cases of suicide,” Dak said.
Globally, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 29.
Brig. Dak said to reduce this, the government has to come up with a tough law to reduce such cases.
“The government needs to go to the community and avail funds to empower the ministries of gender and social welfare, youth and sports, and ministry of general education so that people are engaged,” he stated.
According to WHO 2019 data, South Sudan has the highest suicide rate in the world. It stands at 13th place out of 172 countries globally and 4th in Africa.
In South Sudan, a few people possess knowledge of sign language skills to communicate with that group of people. However, they may also lack psychosocial support skills.