Don't say “I do†yet: Check your mental state first
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Loading... - Gabriel Lameck
- 18 May 2022
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Weddings are the most exciting and wonderful to have when blessed with them. However, at times, they can be a mess fuelled by the mental health status of the partners.
While making the preparations along the way, it is very important to make sure that you don’t forget to check your mental health before getting committed to a forever relationship that may possibly damage you.
Health experts say that 12 percent of Tanzanians suffer from mental illnesses, many of whom are in the age range of 17 to 24. For the record, this is the range of a legal marriage in the country according to the constitution.
We have been hearing and seeing immoral activities in families. These include parents having a love affairs with their children, child abuse cases and sexual violence.
If we look closely enough though, many of these cases are driven by mental health issues. The majority enter into marriage without checking and being aware of their loved one’s mental health.
In 2020, the World health organization (WHO) said that one billion people around the world were left dealing with mental health, whereby the most affected are teenagers, who are going into relationships, marriages and family responsibilities at a young age and ill-equipped.
Tanzania is estimated to have aboutseven million people with mental health challenges. Of which many are caused by leading difficult lives, stress and the desire to have a better life.
It is hard to note if a person suffers from mental health issues unless they have reached dire stages.
Throughout their lives, they may encounter challenges that keep them in the battle with depression which leads to them experiencing an array of mental health problems.
Bosco Bosco, a Counselling Psychologist at Mental Health Tanzania (MHT), who has extensive experience in providing treatment to patients with different cases such as depression and sexual disorders, provides us with the insight into the mental health state here in Tanzania when it comes to relationships.
What is mental health?
Wikipedia defines mental health as encompassing emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
It influences the cognition, perception and behaviour of an individual.
It also determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making.
Mental health includes subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence and self-actualization of one’s intellectual and emotional potential, among others.
“Mental health then covers all the factors that surround what an individual goes through on the daily and their ability to cope with situations that would alternately swallow them up,” explains Bosco. Read More...
