Increased mental health awareness ‘needed’ in black communities

Psychiatrist, Dr Bonginkosi Mafuze, urges families – especially within the black community – to learn more about mental health problems.

Dr Mafuze says within African families there are biopsychosocial and spiritual causes of mental illness, which have lifelong and sometimes generational consequences if untreated.

“We tend to start saying aaah vele nomama wakhe wayenje…into yakubo nje leya…umkhokha uthakathiwe,” he quips.

The medic’s remarks were drawn from two recent criminal cases, linked to mental health, which involve young men.

One is that of an 18-year-old Orange Farm boy, who’s accused of killing his three-year-old brother.

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2021 and there are suspicions that his condition could have been further negatively impacted by suspected use of drugs.

Ikemetse Tsheole is currently on trial for alleged murder and defeating the ends of justice after he was caught while allegedly trying to dump the body of his baby brother in an open field.

In another case, an 11-year-old boy with autism was recently repatriated to South Africa by the Department of Social Development after he boarded a bus to Zimbabwe in May 2023.

According to a departmental statement, the minor has lost his ability to speak in his mother tongue, which is isiZulu, but instead now speaks Shona fluently.

The boy’s 33-year-old mother says they thought the 11- year-old was a naughty child as he always wondered off by himself sometimes for hours and his stepdad who was quite strict would give him a hiding whenever he disappeared.

Reflecting on these cases, Dr Mafuze says psychoeducation for the person affected by mental illness and their relatives is crucial as it equips the family with the necessary tools to manage the condition.

“When suspecting a mental health problem in children, parents or caregivers should visit healthcare facilities like a clinic or hospital where they can be referred to a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals like nurses, doctors, psychologists, counsellors, social workers, occupational therapists etc. to make holistic assessments and provide a treatment, care and rehabilitation plan,” he explains.

Social worker, Prisca Moloisi, has also expressed the same view.

She says perceptions of mental health within black communities shape how conversations around this topic are handled and understood.

In the clip below, Moloisi outlines the different factors that contribute to how mental health is viewed within black families.

The social workers says education on the matter should be tailored in a way that individuals within these communities can understand.

While many young people might engage in recreational drugs to experiment, Moloisi warns against this.

She says some drugs can aggravate anxiety and an underlying mental health condition that a person might have.