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Tafadzwa Chibukwa

FAMILY pressure and expectations, academic challenges, social media and relationship problems have been cited as some of the key contributors of depression among youths.

Cases of suicide among young people across the country are alarmingly on the rise, which is a major cause for concern.
Many reports have been made of students at local universities committing suicide.

In separate interviews, some youths in Bulawayo said they were depressed as a result of the social pressures around them.
Some said they were failing to meet expectations from their families and society to excel and make it in life. Academic challenges lead to some of them losing their self-esteem and getting depressed when they think of what society would say about them when they fail.

Depression is a common mental disorder that affects one’s mood and can affect children, adolescents and adults with women mostly affected compared to men.

In its mildest form, depression can mean just being in low spirits. It doesn’t stop you from leading your normal life but makes everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile.

At its most severe, major depression (clinical depression) can be life threatening because it can make you feel suicidal or simply give up the will to live.

In an interview, Mr Desmond Moyo (26) from Mzilikazi suburb listed many causes of depression among youths in Bulawayo.
He said young people are facing different kinds of pressures from different directions.

Mr Moyo said society has many expectations which drives youths into depression if they happen to disappoint.
“As we grow up, there are certain standards that are set for us to attain, especially excelling at school and being successful at a certain age which pressures us because at times we are not able to achieve those societal standards,” said Mr Moyo.

When the burden becomes too heavy to carry, the youths have no one to turn to, he said.
He added that with time, issues mount and it hits harder when one is alone, contemplating their future.

Mr Moyo highlighted how young people are competing among themselves and how this affects them.
“As a generation, we are competing over everything we are doing in life. Be it at school, social media or even in society, we are competing over everything,” he said.

“Even in the relationships we engage in, we are competing to prove that we can date the most beautiful and for how long, considering the financial, loyalty and social media challenges that come with those relationships,” said Mr Moyo.

He said what fuels depression in relationships are break ups and rejection which many sometimes fail to handle.
Mr Moyo said when challenges accumulate, some turn to drugs and alcohol to manage the stress.

Child president Unathi Nyoni said depression is one of the major problems the youth are facing nowadays adding that there is a need to find ways to address it.

He said depression is one of the factors that has been contributing largely to the drug and substance abuse crisis in the country as depressed individuals turn to drugs and substances to escape their depression.

Mr Desmond Moyo

He said there is a need to establish mental health awareness groups and facilities where people can get help.
“As the Junior Parliament, we have the responsibility to raise flags about such issues and to make sure that it is a known fact that they exist.

We work on the collective responsibility of not just depression but mental health issues in general through mental health awareness campaigns,” said Nyoni.

“We also work hand in hand with institutions that share the same vision of a depression free, mentally healthy society by being foot soldiers, providing information from the youth level through engagement with the people we represent making it easier to come up with specific solutions for specific areas.

“We also aim to fight disinformation and change the culture and stigma around depression and mental health issues in Zimbabwe to enable communities to have an open and honest discussion on issues surrounding it,” he said.
Psychologist Mrs Juliet Mateta said youths are resorting to different kinds of coping mechanisms to deal with depression which

are categorised as negative and positive coping mechanisms.
She said the negative aspect is resorting to drugs and substances hoping to get relief and engaging in risky behaviour such as risky sex and self-isolation.

She said it was important for people to seek help from someone who is elderly and or getting professional help from mental health practitioners.

Mrs Mateta said there is a need to educate youths on depression and the utilisation of existing facilities that deal with depression.

“It is vital to make use of the existing structures that offer clinical services and integrate basic mental health care in those spaces. For example, having a counsellor at every clinic and specifically for youths. I would suggest youth-friendly corners where they can get the care they need without fear of being labelled or discriminated against,” she said.

At private schools, learners who are mostly from rich families, reportedly use high-end drugs such as cocaine.
It is alleged that these learners are targeted by drug peddlers who introduce them to the high-end drugs which are expensive as they are known to be able to afford them.

In June 2021, President Mnangagwa declared war against drug dealers and established an inter-ministerial taskforce to deal with the problem as there was a surge in drug abuse cases in the country.

In Bulawayo, police have conducted raids to control vuzu parties where pupils gather indoors and engage in beer drinking, drugs and sex.

The drug problem is said to be rampant in many schools in the country with drug peddlers targeting elite schools attended by children of the wealthy who can afford to buy expensive drugs.

Substances that are commonly abused are alcohol (both licensed and unlicensed brews), tobacco, cannabis, cocaine, crystal meth and non-medical use of controlled medicines such as codeine-containing cough medicines and benzodiazepines.

Zimbabwe is experiencing an upsurge in drug abuse cases and most of those abusing the drugs are young people. Last year, the Ministry of Health and Child Care launched a five-year strategic plan (2021-2025) against substance abuse to curb its prevalence.

Reports of substance abuse in Zimbabwe paint a concerning picture of escalating prevalence of abuse, with over half of the people admitted to mental health units reportedly experiencing a substance induced disorder. –@Sagepapie14