Tafadzwa Mwanengureni / Kudakwashe Emma Zihonye
At 19, Mercy Mungweni (name changed for ethical reasons) never thought she would enroll at a university after she fell pregnant soon after finishing her Advanced Level.
Life turned sour soon after she realized her condition. She faced a lot of criticism from her family and close friends which led her losing hope in having a bright future.
Mugweni, now 31, became pregnant at the time she was supposed to go for tertiary education.
After giving birth, she neglected her son because she thought he was the reason for her failure.
“I thought I had lost that opportunity and I used to neglect my son, because I believed he shattered my future, of which it was not his fault. It was a result of my own actions,” says Mugweni.
“I hated this child. l saw him as the reason I lost opportunities…so l could not accept him.”
The World Health Organisation 2022 statistics reveals that almost 1 in 5 women will experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or in the year after the birth. Among women with perinatal mental health conditions, 20% will experience suicidal thoughts or undertake acts of self-harm.
Mugweni is one such women.
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She was stressed during pregnancy, and thought of committing suicide at one point.
However, because of mental health counselling, she came to realise her purpose in life.
“At one point I contemplated to commit suicide because everyone could not understand me at home as I was told that i was irresponsible and i lost an opportunity,” she says.
“Mental health counselling services saved my life, its important because it made me see my potential without expecting the help from somebody else.”
It took her time to forget what happened in her relationship with her boyfriend as she expected he would come back.
But through counselling she started seeing life differently and later regained her strength. She returned to school while taking a good care of her child.
Generally mental health in Zimbabwe is one of the topics that receives less attention. This results in perinatal mental health having no chance of recognition in a country that does not prioritise mental health issues at large.
Parliament Portofolio Committee on Health and Child care Chairperson Honourable Daniel Molekele told She Corresponds Africa that Parliament is not aware of perinatal depression as a health risk needing attention.
“We are not aware of such a maternal problem just like every other Zimbabwean. As the Parliament we wait for the Ministry of Health and Childcare to provide awareness of such issues so that discussions and action can be made by the Parliament,” he said.
“There is need for the Ministry of health to do their part of capacity building and awareness so that other stakeholders involved can make informed actions.”
Less attention that is given to perinatal health has witnessed the country recording an increase in illegal abortions, baby dumping, infanticides as well as suicide by women in their perinatal period due to lack of counselling when required.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has long confirmed numerous reports of infanticide. There have also been cases of maternal harm towards infants in Zimbabwe.
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One of the notable case is that of Mary Rukobo, a Buhera woman who injured her two children in January 2023 .
Rukobo was reported to have confessed to some villagers that she had repeatedly crashed the heads of the two children against a rock during a prayer session after hearing a voice instructing her to kill both children.
Such incidents are deeply concerning and require immediate attention, however many societies in Zimbabwe overlook mental health issues.
To make matters worse, when a pregnant woman is experiencing mental health issues she is often advised to endure as per the African tradition.
Causes of perinatal mental health challenges in Zimbabwe are rooted in various factors which include limited access to proper nutrition and family care among others.
Additionally, societal pressures, cultural expectations, and traditional gender roles often place immense strain on new mothers, exacerbating the emotional and psychological toll of postpartum.
Tafadzwa Meki a Counselling Physcologist at Someone Always Listens To you Africa (SALT) – a mental health organisation that deals with Afrocentric solutions to mental health by providing counselling in hospitals, prisons and the community – said many factors which can lead to depression among pregnant women.
“When women are pregnant a few people take into consideration the challenges they face. Some pregnant women still have to take care of her other kids, still expected to do house chores whilst her body and mental state are not the same because of hormonal changes which might led to mental health problems,’’ Meki said.
“Following child birth, mothers encounter a wide spectrum of emotions, encompassing both elation and moments of melancholy accompanied by tearful episodes. These changes have a profound impact on the mother’s familial and interpersonal dynamics,” said Meki
Less appreciation of the existence of perinatal depression and disorders has resulted in many many women to suffer in silence.
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Zimbabwe Psychological Association President, Pamela Marwisa said the country does not have comprehensive mental health services offered for perinatal mental health especially at primary health care setting.
“Routine screening for depression during antenatal and postnatal visits by professional mental health workers is not done in primary care settings in Zimbabwe. Most primary care facilities lack privacy and as such women may be less inclined to highlight the mental health distress, they may be suffering from due to the stigma around mental illness that still exists in Zimbabwe,” she said.
Since the majority of patients in Zimbabwe access health care in public health care institutions, chances of having mental health counselling are slim because of staff shortage to provide the services due to poor remuneration.
A 2022 report by the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) titled Prevention and Management of Mental Health Conditions in Zimbabwe reveals that although training programmes for psychology have commenced after being closed for a decade, the government has not been hiring them. Moreover, interns are not receiving monetary remuneration like other health cadres such as medical doctors and nurses in training.
Linus Muvhu, Chief Talent Team Leader for Society for Pre and Post Natal Services (SPANS) told She Corresponds Africa that the country requires human capital to cater for perinatal mental health.
“It’s good we raise awareness by mobilising the community and whatever we can do to make people understand about the common perinatal issues, but the question stands what next,” Muvhu said.
“We definitely need much human capital so that if somebody comes at a facility they should get a service. Having more infrastructure, more buildings to make sure that we cater for families that have these perinatal mental issues, because privacy and confidentiality are key principles for counselling.”
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