Family and mental health

The world health organization defines health as the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of a disease. The attainment of which is what people believe to be fullness of life- this to many appears illusive and shrouded in fantasy due to multi factorial impingement on the growth and development process. At the foremost, it is imperative to highlight the tendency to equate mental health to mental illness- an illusion which stems from the stigma associated by the latter and while acknowledging that the tendency is deep rooted in us, it is worthwhile to indicate that lack of attention and neglect of this health paradigm by the government- as evidenced by budgetary allocation and the state of dis-repair of its two mental health institutions in Zomba and Lilongwe- heightens this perception. Mental health is the fulcrum of individuals and society’s heart beat and fullness- it is the daily ability that enables us to reason, function and relate rationally with ourselves and others plus the environment. It is thus at the centre of our successes and failures.

The family as an institution is the central piece in this jigsaw puzzle of human life, while acknowledging that the family plays a pivotal role in nurturance, molding and inculcating values and norms in its subsystems- it again as, Robin Skynner (1992 in Sewpaul, 2003) indicates, ‘has enormous creative potential, including that of life itself, and it is not surprising that when it becomes disordered, it possesses an equal potential for terrible destruction’. Thus the need for policies, and economic, political and social systems that would foster the integral development of the family and its fulfillment of its entitled virtues and fundamental responsibility- an integral development, fulfillment and nurturance of life itself. With the current social economic and structural mishaps, it is worthwhile to evaluate the position of this beacon of mental health- the family.

The current free markets ‘copied’ ideologies that have led to the closure of a number of industries and small businesses alike; have triggered untold miseries on micro-systems including the family itself. Families have to adjust and readjust to suit and cope with the economic virulence- the result is high levels of stress in people- both in the parental and children sub-systems. Parents have to work with their ‘teeth out’ to fend for their children and the entire family’s survival but at the same time children have to bear the enormous load and consequences of being in a struggling family structure. Thus the unending long queues in hospitals with presentations of head-aches, hyper/hypotension, insomnia and that entire long list that general practitioner come across. It is imperative to say that with the current status of our nation on the economic front and on the political arena, the peoples mental health needs and the family’s struggles to cope with the ever changing market terrain, is an indictment on the state and its political bed fellow, for failing to adopt ‘people centered’ policies and for a political system that its immaturity lies in old men’s hormonal inadequacy- not the poor average Malawian whose socio-economic and mental health needs are as complex as the direction in which they might re-route if there is no multi- directional and multi- dimensional plastering on their causes. At the same time it is imperative to conscientize our people that much as their problems originate from the greater socio-economic and political hegemonic influences, they have the greater responsibility to advocate for themselves and take part in the development and social change of their own lives. It is again imperative to advance here that assessment of mental health problems should be inoculated in every general health practitioner’s assessment plan of every patient to ably, competently and holistically manage the presenting problems that they come across, for often times these problems are a symptom an existing conflictual relationship between the individual and environmental factors. It is therefore important to recognize the integral participation and contribution of the family in nation building and development – thus we will not only empower families but also create an enabling socio-economic and political premise that would promote blossoming and unchain family’s creative potentials and again we will know our real problems and re-direct our attention into the right perspectives.

NB: I was inspired to write this article after reading an article by Pro. Sewpaul bearing the same title.