Youth speaker calls for mental health support in schools

Namibian schools need trained mental health professionals so that teachers and learners are not left to cope with mental health difficulties alone, a young Namibian said at World Mental Health Day commemorations in Oshakati last Friday.Teachers are educators, not mental health specialists, said Haindongo Peya (19), who called on government to place specialised mental health services in schools.Peya, who struggled with frightening dreams and thoughts while at secondary school, said he often felt alone and misunderstood. He linked his difficulties to growing up with a mother who faced mental health challenges and a father who left when he was young."Let us not wait until individuals have suffered to hear them. Let us listen earlier. Let us strive for deeper understanding. Let us create systems that respond with compassion and professionalism," Peya said.“I am not sharing this to blame teachers or individuals,” he added.He warned, however, that behaviour seen as difficult can be misread, hiding mental health challenges that need understanding and empathy.“Sometimes a young person grapples with internal struggles that manifest merely as challenging behaviour. A student may appear disrespectful, distracted, apathetic, angry or withdrawn. But beneath that behaviour often lies grief, fear, trauma and anxiety,” Peya said.Your voice mattersFriday's event was hosted by the health and social services ministry under the theme ‘Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change’.Dr Katia Batista, a specialist psychiatrist and head of psychiatry at Intermediate Hospital Oshakati, said that clinical diagnoses and support are not synonymous with being heard.“Throughout my medical career, mental illness has been diagnosed, documented and discussed, often in hushed tones,” she said.“However, some knowledge transcends what any textbook can provide; it is the insight gained from lived experience.”Batista said stigma carries a profound cost; those living with depression are labelled as lazy, deemed crazy and hidden away due to family shame, preventing them from seeking help and accessing the support they need.She stressed that those who make the brave decision to share their experiences deserve respect, not pity, and reminded people that they are not merely their diagnosis but persons with relationships, ambitions and a life beyond it.While medication and therapy can save and transform lives, it is vital for people to feel heard, respected, and involved in their care, Batista stressed.“A trembling voice is still a voice. Being heard will not erase the experiences one has endured, nor does it replace treatment, but it can signal the beginning of meaningful change.”The human faceDr Albertina Nande from Onandjokwe Hospital reminded attendees of the humanity of individuals living with mental illness. She cautioned that stigma is often manifested in fear of the unknown.“The fear you feel regarding mental health stems from a lack of understanding,” Nande said.She said Namibia must listen to people with lived experience to build mental health support systems that do not victimise or stigmatise them, or exclude them from decision-making.She proposed three actions for truly hearing these voices: eliminating stigma, confronting ignorance and nurturing compassion, noting that the public often asks harmful questions like "Why did you wait so long to speak up?” or “You don't look depressed.”Stigma, she added, manifests on three levels: structural, where laws and institutions restrict rights; social, reflected in communities and families; and self-stigma, where people internalise beliefs like “I am weak.”

Youth speaker calls for mental health support in schools

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-10-16

Please login to leave a comment

Youth speaker calls for mental health support in schools

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-10-16

Please login to leave a comment

Subscription Required to Access Content ×

Login

Subscription Required to Access Content