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Angela Sibanda, Showbiz Reporter
Radio personality and MC Cde Phil is set to introduce a new reality show which aims at addressing mental health and psychological challenges in relationships.

Named I Dated A Psycho the show will première this Saturday and will see a number of guests opening up about their experiences in toxic relationships with partners who displayed psychological disturbances.

Long back, people believed it was love that drove people into beating and threatening their partners or committing suicide after a break-up.

mental health expert

However, through awareness campaigns, many have become aware of issues such as depression and other mental illnesses and their severe impacts if not addressed.

Psychological challenges usually displayed by people in relationships include hacking social media accounts like WhatsApp, tracking or stalking a person’s movements and activities without their knowledge, refusing to break up with someone even if things are not working out, and committing or threatening to commit suicide because of a failed relationship.

Cde Phil (real name Philip Moyo) said the show is inspired by experiences that he has seen his friends and people close to him go through due to dating people with unidentified mental illnesses.

“People are going through a lot due to the things that they went through during their upbringing and their actions end up making them unlovable. Some people date psychos and also end up unlovable as they assume influenced personalities.

“There are people who refuse to accept when relationships are over. They either start stalking their partners, beating them up, forcing them not to end things, or in the worst scenarios, take their own lives because of relationship failures. Some of these behaviours emanate from low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and the fear of the unknown,” he said.

The Khulumani FM presenter said the reality show will be aired weekly on his Facebook page and YouTube channel.

He said mental health experts will also grace the show to give advice to people on how they can deal with such issues.

“We need to understand that some people have gone through abusive relationships or come from an abusive background which makes them emotionally unstable. By doing so, we’ll be able to help each other and create a relationship-friendly society.

“I’m going to be inviting counsellors who are in a better position to help address these issues. For identity protection purposes, the stories will be narrated using pseudo names and if by any chance, the other party watches the show and feels that the story was twisted, he/she should feel free to write to me and come to the show to tell their side of the story,” said Cde Phil.

According to him, the show is not meant to shame, embarrass or expose people and their mental health issues, but rather, to address social ills and open a platform for people going through similar situations to get help.