Kagezi children need therapy

By Belinda Atim Michaels

I did not personally know the slain Principal State Attorney, Joan Kagezi, and I really did not have to, for me to experience the shock and dread that rendered me paralysed for a time when I heard about her tragic death.

The God-given benevolence that naturally runs through our veins causes us to express such emotions whether we know the people involved or not. That feeling forced me to think about her children.

If I, who did not know her, could feel so paralysed, what about her children who watched their mother get killed in cold blood? What are they feeling? Have they even come to grips with it yet?

When tragedy strikes, our mental faculties react in various ways - some people develop amnesia, others panic disorders and others cannot describe what becomes of them after witnessing a tragic event.

All these reactions, and more, are part of what health care professionals call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It is defined as a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event – either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Professionals group PTSD symptoms into four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood or changes in emotional reactions.

They say the symptoms can vary in intensity over time and may be triggered by reminders of the event such as watching the news or curious people asking about it.

Due to their unpredictable nature (symptoms may start within months of a traumatic event or not appear until years after the event) and their ability to cause clinical impairment in significant areas of functioning, professionals advice getting effective therapy as soon as possible.

The grave challenge we have in Uganda, unlike in the Western world, is the presence of very few mental health experts.

A recent BBC World News feature: Uganda, My Mad World, revealed that there are only 30 experts working in Uganda and in relation to our population that means less than one per one million Ugandans. It went on to reveal that the World Health Organization estimates that 90% of mental health conditions never get treatment.

In my opinion, one of the reasons for this could be our assumption that mental health problems refer to total madness and as such we stigmatise sufferers.

Additionally, we are so steeped in witchcraft and other mystical beliefs that the first things we think about when someone shows symptoms are bewitching, curses or demon-possession.

These attitudes and beliefs force sufferers to shun needed therapy and are not encouraging enough for health care professionals to pursue that avenue of medicine. Thus, we sadly end up with so many mad cases that could have been avoided.

While campaigns for the Kagezi Children Fund continue, let us not forget about their mental health status after witnessing such trauma.

Arrangements should be made for them to get therapeutic help to enable them cope with the aftermath of the tragic loss of their mother.

The writer is a public relations officer, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre