Rwandans will on Tuesday, October 10, join the global community in celebrating World Mental Health Day. Globally, the day will be marked under the theme; ‘mental health is a universal human right.’ In the country, the day will be particularly be celebrated with the launch of a student-led campaign that aims at sensitising the youth, especially young adults attending college, on the issue of mental wellness that is increasingly endemic in this demographic. ALSO READ: Government to conduct detailed study on state of mental health Statistics from the country’s neuropsychiatric hospital indicate that 70 per cent of the patients received at this facility are young adults who primarily suffer from drug abuse. Out of these, the figures show that over 70% of this demographic are under the 25, with substance abuse as a common cause for mental disorders. It is therefore important that a particular campaign is rolled out specifically targeting this most at-risk population, because if nothing is done in good time, the country will be robed of its future. ALSO READ: 35% of Genocide survivors have mental health problems – RBC According to Rwanda Biomedical Centre, the campaign will be led by Student-Led Organisations which, working with other stakeholders, plan to roll out varied innovative approaches that will help young individuals understand how daily life impacts mental well-being, promoting mindfulness. The use of peers to lead this campaign is something that must be commendable and will no doubt yield results because the implementers relate well with the common triggers that force their contemporaries into risky habits like drug abuse, which end up affecting their mental wellness, sometime to irreversible levels. For instance, nobody understands better the frustration that comes with completing college with no immediate prospects of getting an employment than a fellow youth. According to the organisers, the youth-friendly mental health campaign will particularly empower university students to address their specific needs, promoting resilience, openness, and trust amongst themselves to speak about what affects them. ALSO READ: Senators root for ‘Rwandan solutions’ in dealing with mental health issues As a Rwandan saying goes, he or she who wants to be cured of a disease, they must be open about it. It is therefore critical that during such campaigns, the grim picture painted by the figures from the neuropsychiatric hospital, is shared in graphic detail so that the youth get to know the animal that we are dealing with.
