The Mental Health Division Manager at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Yvonne Kayiteshonga, has challenged the youth to shrug off their fears and seek mental health support whenever they feel unwell.
This was on Thursday, October 28, during an event to mark the World Mental Health Day.
"We have to focus on the youth because mental health illness starts during adolescence due to the changes of their lifestyle. It is a period when they think about many things, including their future, which can potentially lead to distress,” Kayiteshonga said.
She used the event to rally members of society to play a role in helping the youth to overcome their mental health challenges.
Rwanda joined the World to mark the World Mental Health Day on Thursday, October 28
Professor Vincent Sezibera, a lecturer at the University of Rwanda and researcher at the Centre for Mental Health, said cases of mental health illness were high among the youth.
He disclosed that between 20 and 40% of the youth in the country have experienced mental health illness which is attributed to their emotional feelings.
Depression and stress among the youth, he said, are cause by a number factors including family related challenges as well as exposure to violence.
"Among the 693 students we interviewed in the research, half of them showed that they didn’t feel well in that period we were collecting the data,” he added.
They exhibited varying signs of mental health challenges, he said.
The event to mark the World Mental Health Day was held at UR on Thursday, October 28. courtesy
Parents, he said, had a greater role in safeguarding their children from things that can trigger stress and depression.
Bazilia Maeva Rusamaza is one of the youth who overcame mental health illness.
"I started feeling anxious, sometimes I used to cry. I felt like nothing I could do in life, no one likes me, I have some scars on my body because I beat myself, that time no one knew what was happening to me,” she said.
She advised the youth not to hide their struggles but rather to be open.