The commemoration week (April 7-13), which ushers the country into the 100 days of remembering victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, is a period that has been characterised with cases of trauma among Rwandans, most especially the survivors of the tragedy.
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According to information from Rwanda Biomedical Centre, mental health challenges can be found in one out of five survivors of the Genocide.
In this article, The New Times looks at things you may need to know about mental health problems during the commemoration period in the last 10 years.
Trauma cases have reduced over time
RBC statistics collected from places where communal commemoration events have been taking place in the past years show that the number of people who showcase mental health challenges has been reducing over the years.
In 2013, for example, the number of mental health cases recorded by RBC were 3,702, in 2014, they were 3,471, while in 2015, they further declined to 3,240. The decrease continued to 1,234 in 2022.
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2020 and 2021 experienced the least numbers of trauma cases
Due to Covid-19, there were no communal commemorations in 2020 and 2021, but still, cases of mental health issues were recorded by RBC.
In 2020, some 606 cases of mental health challenges were recorded, while in 2021, they were up to 964. During that time, RBC put in place some hotlines that people would call to get support in case their loved ones were experiencing mental health problems.
Depression is the most common mental health challenges among survivors
RBC notes that depression is the most prevalent mental health challenge among survivors, with 35 percent of all survivors being affected by such. This is a high number in comparison to the general population where about 12 percent of people are affected by the same issue.
The second most prevalent mental health issue among survivors is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Up to 28 percent of the survivors are affected by this challenge, while in the general population it stands at 3.6 percent.
Medics say few Rwandans seek mental health support
According to RBC, five percent of Rwandans seek mental health services in general.
"Rwandans do not often go for mental health treatment. We need to do research into this and know the reason, so that we can get a solution for it,” said Dr. Jean Damascene Iyamuremye, the acting head of RBC’s mental health division.