Get help before it's too late!

The Monitor Editor | Tuesday March 7, 2023 06:00

It was a painful turn of events. As usual, the tragic ending of three lives became the talk of the town. Sadly, there was a lot of insensitivity coming from those who chose to offer their opinions on the matter.

The opinions of many on social media were diverse. Some bought the narrative that the medic's wife was cheating and thus drove the doctor to madness. Others believed the doctor was an abusive husband who killed his children and committed suicide because his wife wanted out of their 'toxic' marriage.

To this point, none of the distant commentators know exactly what was going on in that household except the deceased husband, the grieving wife and mother, and their two departed children if indeed they had borne witness to their parents fighting and yelling.

We have previously carried a commentary on issues of emotional support whether be it to seek the help of professionals or just to confide in a trusted friend or circle of friends.

We as Batswana have been socialised to shun counselling and stigmatise those struggling with mental wellbeing. Uninformed people usually make fun of others who are undergoing counselling or getting help from trained therapists and that often leads to some people either doing it in secret or not doing it for fear of being labelled crazy! We have many challenges in our lives and these can often weigh heavily on us! We need to understand that as much as we care about our physical health, we should give equal attention to our mental health. We have a lot of murder-suicide cases and also a lot of intimate murder cases! That should show us that we indeed have a lot on our hands.

Hardly a week passes by without hearing a story of a boyfriend or husband killing his girlfriend, wife, or ex, or a case of murder-suicide! This time around two innocent lives have been lost all owing to a misunderstanding between a wife and husband and in all honesty, all this could have been avoided with the help of professionals. We often make it seem like it is easy to walk out of a marriage or long-term relationship, but we as human beings do not have the same tolerance, hence why the need to seek help when feeling overwhelmed! Counselling is a must for all of us even if one thinks/believes they are the smartest persons that ever walked the planet, one will at some point in their life come across challenges that will weigh them down. There is nothing wrong with counselling. We should actively embrace it and sensitise people on the importance of taking care of one’s mental health!