I first experienced depression in high school. At the time
not many people in Zimbabwe recognised it for what it was, and my family doctor
told me to just get a grip. It was only in Switzerland that I was diagnosed,
initially with clinical depression, later back in Zimbabwe with bipolar
depression. It was hard for me to take on this new identity and I didn’t want
to be told I would have this for the rest of my life. Since then I have
discovered that many other people in Zimbabwe have some form of depression. In
the last year or so dialogue on it has really begun to open up, but there is
still such a way to go to be able to treat sufferers with dignity and give them
the help and resources they need.
When I have been suicidal I have found that many emergency health professionals
do not respond in a compassionate and understanding manner. You are often
chided for not being responsible and you get the feeling you are wasting the
doctor’s time. There is a need for health practitioners to get a better
understanding and to be trained in how to respond to suicidal patients, so that
the patient feels safe and not judged. Medication has helped me overcome the
perils of my illness, but it is difficult to obtain the drugs I have to have
daily. This is vital for me to lead as close to a normal life as I can.
The doctors I have seen in Zimbabwe have been world class,
but I am one of a privileged few, who can afford to pay to see them. There are
many other people in this country who urgently need such care, but do not have
the finances or facilities to receive it. The Friendship Bench has made a great
stride in making therapy more readily available to all. More along these lines
is needed.
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