‘Drug abuse contributes 57pc of mental health cases’

Rutendo Ngara

ngarar@dailynews.co.zw

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) Zimbabwe says 57 percent of mental health cases reported in Zimbabwe are a result of the ever-increasing cases of drug abuse.

Speaking during a breakfast meeting in Harare yesterday, WHO country coordinator in the psychiatric department Debra Machando said mental health cases in Zimbabwe were worryingly on the rise.

 “Drug and substance use are a pandemic in Zimbabwe. We have noted with concern the rapid increase of drug-induced mental health cases. About 57 percent of the cases reported are a result of drug abuse.

“This issue needs combined efforts from all of us. As parents, let’s monitor our children because peer pressure is devouring our youths. Some causes of drug abuse are as simple as just the feeling to be part of the company. We cannot firmly say the drug and substance abuse menace is affecting youths only, it cuts across all age groups.

“Society is taking this as a light pandemic because it is not being given prominence like other chronic pandemics like HIV and Aids,” Machando said. The meeting was running under the theme ‘‘consolidating efforts in tackling and abuse menaces in Zimbabwe’.

Meanwhile, International Awareness Centre chief executive officer Nkululeko Dewa said Zimbabwe needed serious human capital investment in the mental health department to enable specialists to cope with the demand of services.

“We need more specialists in the field, we need more specialists in the drug-induced mental problems which is different from neurological problems,” said Dewa, adding that the general public were giving an umbrella term to mental health when in fact it had categories.

“There is a scale or categorisation of mental health cases.  For drug-induced cases one can do an analysis, history check and other family issues which surround the patient. Neurological problems need some research and it is not easy to ascertain what might be the causes of the mental disorder,” Dewa said.

Speaking at the same occasion minister of Public service and Social Welfare Paul Mavima said there was a need for collaborative efforts from the private sector and the government to deal with mental health problems. 

“We are working to achieve sustainable development goal (SDG) 3  on ensuring health, life and promoting wellbeing for all… provide the government with the national framework on  the establishment of an inter-ministerial taskforce on drugs and substance abuse,” Mavhima said.

This comes as recently President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared war on drug abuse dedicating this year to eradicating the scourge.

He has also warned drug cartels that the net was fast closing in on them as the war against illegal substances had been intensified.

He said this while addressing thousands of youths at an event to commemorate the National Youth Day in February.

 “2022 must see our nation eliminate drug and substance abuse. I thus encourage the youth to use platforms such as the national clean-up day which is held every first Friday of the month to share information towards fighting drugs and substance abuse.

“At government level, the inter-ministerial committee on drugs and substance abuse will leave no stone unturned in fighting the scourge. The unity of purpose, as well as the collective spirit we have demonstrated in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic must be extended to extinguish the scourge of drugs and substance abuse.

“Community policing strategies must be enhanced to expose and dismantle the drug production sites, networks and supply chains within our provinces, districts, wards, residential areas and villages. If you are found selling drugs, be warned. If I was not a Christian I was going to declare that when you get caught selling drugs you must consume all the drugs you were selling because you are destroying the future of Zimbabwe,” Mnangagwa said.

He said an inter-ministerial committee on drug and substance abuse had also been established to spearhead efforts to combat drug abuse.

Over and above that, he said, a national drug abuse fund had been established through the 2022 national budget to cater for the creation of drug rehabilitation centres and programmes.