_______________

Starting a new term in a new class is often an exciting thing for pupils and students, with many having hopes of collecting memorable experiences.

For many of these, it is time to grow and discover, however, some mental health problems like stress which often come with anxiety disorders and depression get in the way.

Dr Sabrina Kitaka a paediatrician says often students are stressed because of not being visited by parents, being bullied, poverty, and corporal punishments while at school.

Others are chronic and acute diseases, and poverty among others.

She adds that stress can crimp up on anyone and that it can stop students from excelling in their exams or lead to total school dropouts.

On Saturday, March 2, Dr Kitaka addressed Interact Club members from different schools during the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) training that was organised by Rotary District 9214 at St Marks College Namagoma, in Wakiso District.

While there, Kitaka said depression in youth has symptoms like losing interest in things that one normally does, lack of sleep, decline in class performance, becoming angry, anxious, and unhappy, and a severe form of sadness.

She explained that some people once depressed, act up by doing drugs and being violent or indisciplined around others.

“Some depressed people have ended up hurting themselves and even committing suicide although the disease is treatable and curable,” she said.

How to deal with stress

According to Kitaka, youth manage stress by doing things that can raise the dopamine hormone, which is responsible for happiness.

She noted that dopamine can be increased by doing routine exercises and smiling at least ten times a day.

“The more exercises you do, the more your heart beats less and the less stressed you will be,” she said.

Dr. Sabrina Kitaka (in floral dress), a pediatrician, interacts with some of the members of the Interact Clubs during the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) training that was organised by Rotary district 9214 at St Marks College Namagoma Wakiso district on March 2, 2024. (All Photos by Lawrence Mulondo)

Kitaka said the other thing students can do is have enough hours of sleep a day adding that this helps the brain and body relax thereby reducing stress levels.

The doctor urged the youth to eat well by having a balanced diet.

She advised that once one discovers that they have a mental illness like any of these, they should seek help from a counsellor or physiatrist.

“If you have panic attacks or anxiety neurosis and you do not get treated, then it becomes a ripple effect,” she explained.

“As a person, you need to understand what the stress factors are and keep away from them. If you feel like being bullied or being in a relationship stresses you, keep away from those things to stay healthy,” she explained.

Imparting values in youth

The District Governor 9214, Francisco Ssemwanga, explained that the RYLA training, an arm of Rotary International, is intended to impart leadership skills and good moral values to the young generation.

“The youth in Uganda form the largest percentage (78%) of the population. If we do not groom them, then the country’s future can be at stake as they are the inheritors,” he said.

He said in this one-day training, youth are taught how to care for the less fortunate people, respect others, work together, and interest them in taking part in leadership.

Ssemwanga said everything in society raises and falls on leadership and that if the leadership is good at the family level, in church, and in communities everything moves on well.

“We expect youth to use schools as training grounds for leadership, as they vie for different leadership posts and serve their fellow students well with the guidance of teachers,” he said.

He encouraged students to use their time in school profitably adding that many people fail to succeed in life because of spoiling opportunities they get.

Ssemwanga said, “Successful people tap into opportunities when they strike and unsuccessful ones always look at opportunities when they have passed.”

Rotarian Pius Lubwama, the district Interact chairperson explained that the RYLA program started in Florida USA in 1962 by Rotary International before it spread to other parts of the world.

Lubwama said RYLA is a program sponsored by Rotarians to impart leadership skills to youth.

He said the program also has exchange programs where students from Uganda fly to other countries like the USA, India, China, and England and vice versa to learn good practices and bring them home.

This year’s training attracted over 200 students from over twelve schools around the country.