The ultimate goal of society is to promote a healthy, happy, and productive life for all. It creates conditions and opportunities for the all-around development of individuals. Culture enhances the opportunities of all human beings, framed within a rights-based approach and the respect for diversity. On the other hand, research shows that society and culture are at the root of psychological issues amongst people. Stigma, discrimination, and some cultural beliefs can make someone’s mental distress worse, delay, or even hinder help. In some societies, illnesses such as epilepsy, known as “igicuri”, a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures, are perceived differently depending on the culture, with some referring the illness to traditional healers for treatment. In some societies, it is believed that men should be the sole providers of their families, financially, and are also expected to contribute to the emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental well-being of the family, which puts a strain on their mental health. For instance, there is a proverb in Rwandan society that goes ‘Amarira y’umugabo atemba ajya munda’, interpreted as men hardly express their feelings and emotions, and tend to suffer silently. In many cultures, men are not supposed to cry or show any signs of emotional weakness publicly or otherwise,” says Charles Karake Mutsinzi, a cultural analyst. Mutsinzi says back then, young girls and boys were taken to cultural places before they went off to start families of their own. “Young men passed through ‘itorero’ whereas young women went for ‘urubohero’, where they would be taught about cultural values and taboos of both the nation and family,” he says. Mutsinzi says that a man only showed his weakness when he fought and saw that he was going to lose. Today, some lads commit suicide when life seems hard and they can’t cope—as we have seen in the past few months. According to Ntwali (not real name), a mental distress patient, the current rhetoric among young people today and perceptions of elders that forces people not to talk, acts as an additional barrier to mental health assistance. “Beliefs of ‘what will people say’ undermine someone’s problems, preventing people from sharing their burdens for fear of being judged, hence, choose to keep it to themselves,” Ntwali says. He adds that knowing what our county has gone through and what others are facing makes people feel their problems are less serious compared to others, and they choose to be alone no matter how hard it is to keep the problems to themselves. Felix Banderembaho, an assistant lecturer in the department of clinical psychology at the University of Rwanda’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences, is of the view that during the period of the commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the post-genocide generation does not understand what their parents went through, others may question why they do not have cousins, aunties, uncles or grandparents like others do. Banderembaho says among other unsaid factors, at a certain point things erupt from someone’s head as a result of society’s stand on mental distress. How can this be addressed? The lack of reliable information about mental health issues within society remains a challenge for many who have been diagnosed. “Psycho-education is the number one solution because, there are some people who face or contribute to various forms of violence and they do it ignorantly, due to lack of information on how it impacts psychological health and this is found in all categories of people,” Banderembaho says. He adds that mental illness is alive and can happen to anyone, there is no vaccine for it and every individual must take charge, play a role and educate others. Banderembaho says people should not be concerned about society’s perception when it comes to mental health. Remember, this is a personal issue regardless of how small you think it is and how it appears to others. At the end of the day, you may suffer alone, and no one else is able to reach the core of your pain like you do. Reach out to a psychiatrist, they are willing to listen and help. Leave out the ‘what will people say if they see me seeking mental health support’. Banderembaho is of the view that the government should provide and give greater support to mental health experts in capacity-building, and empower them in all forms with continuous training. “We also need more specialists in mental health so we advance and keep learning from them as they offer a viable approach on ways to address these issues in all forms because they require extra attention,” he says.
