It’s Monday morning, and I hear the faintest knock at my door. It’s one of the first-year nursing students, I happily invite her in, and she sits down for a chat with me.
"Sorry to disturb you, I won’t be long, it’s not very important.
What could be the reason for feeling sad all the time?
I wake up and have no energy, all I feel is weakness.
I’ve tried to talk to my roommate about this, but she just tells me I’m being moody. The problem is, this has been continuous; it doesn’t go away.
*tears come*
I can’t talk to anyone about this, we’re not that free, not even my aunty, and I call her mom. I only have one good friend, she’s also in nursing school, but she’s in Kitwe, so we don’t see each other.
Even when I go home I feel this way, I don’t know what it is that’s making me feel like this…
Is there anything that can help me? What can I do?"
I give her a hug as she leaves my office, tell her to come back again so we can talk about this some more, and give her some options and words of encouragement in the meantime.
This poor girl. She’s far from home, doesn’t have many close friends, and is struggling with this sadness in a culture where depression is seen as a weakness and not a disease. I’m glad she can talk to me, but I can’t imagine how alone she must feel.
How many other young women feel this way? How many feel free enough to talk about it, and with whom? What support is there for them?
Perhaps things are changing in Africa with regard to how we look at mental illness, but there are many firm-rooted beliefs that involve demons, curses, or just the notion that becoming depressed is the way that people with poor stamina deal with life's challenges. This way of thinking prevents us from treating any form of mental illness, since some higher power has caused this condition. Of course, I don't want to fiercly oppose traditional healers or argue over the power of prayer, I'm just saying, as with everything, we need to find the right balance.
Hey Steph its Lesley.
ReplyDeleteyou'll have to cut me some slack with my comment I read all of your posts at once. What a rollercoaster! Im glad that you seem to have found a little peace where you are and that your students are so enthralled with the knowledge you have to give them. Did you eat the flying ant? LOL!!! That post made me glad of the long winter in Alberta so that all the bugs die. You are incredibly brave. It must be hard to deal wih your frustration at the older nurses. Leah (magnus's gf) was talking with me at Christmas and she described what she has to deal with at the hospital she is at with geriatrics. There is a similar tendency for the older nurses and even just nursing assistants to ignore vital details in the patient's cases. I was so disgusted with the lack of caring for the human beings in her case that im sure if I heard all the details of your life in Zambia I might break. You are a elequent writer and I enjoyed each post and even laughed out loud at a few points. James read some of Ben's blog while I was reading your's he laughed about how Ben had to hold hands with a guy while out for a walk. Happy belated birthday!!! 27 eh thats baby makin time. You have to come back so suzie will get off my ass about grandchildren. LOL. Life is pretty much the same for James and I, He really enjoys his work as a plumber and I think Im gonna get a nice cushy job at the bank. Enjoy the heat while you are there because it's supposed to snow all weekend again, oh well at least there aren't giant ants.