Government says poverty, lack of education and limited economic opportunities are exacerbating mental health problems in Malawi.
Assistant Director of Curative and Medical Rehabilitation Services – Mental Health, Dr Michael Udedi said this on Thursday in Lilongwe during the Mental Health and Trauma Recovery among Social Service Workforce and Children workshop.
The aim of the workshop was strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration, highlight evidence-based practices, and foster collective healing by addressing trauma and mental health challenges faced by frontline workers and the children.
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According to Udedi, “People are experiencing a number of issues which can contribute to mental health and psychosocial issues, hence the need for such kind of meetings, so that we can come up with action points supporting people experiencing mental health and psychosocial issues,” he said.
However, he was quick to point out that government is implementing a number of initiatives to address the situation.
“Some of the interventions include training people in the community and provide psychological first aid which is provided to people when experiencing mental health problems. We have trained teachers, social workers, healthcare workers, some police officers and other groups,” he said.
In his remarks, Alliance for Children’s Everywhere Country Director Chisangalalo Ntonio said there is slow progress in terms fighting mental health problems especially among children.
“There are a number of children who are traumatized and have mental health problems. Some cultural aspects are contributing to mental health problems and trauma among children. Even social media is highly contributing to the challenge,” he narrated.
He however called for collaboration between government, non-governmental organizations and community organizations to strengthen mental health services.
The workshop was held under the theme “Advancing Mental Health and Trauma recovery for Professional and Children.”
