Most patients are addicted or have complications arising
from crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “mutoriro”, “dombo” or “guka”,
although the older abused drugs of ganja cakes, a prohibited cough syrup called
BronCleer (bronco), mbanje and illicit beers known as “musombodhiya” in street
lingo pad out the numbers.
While most people with mental illnesses linked to drug and
substance abuse are roaming the streets in the suburbs, a few that finally
visit public psychiatric units for help are putting pressure on the resources
available at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
Among hundreds of drug abusers who seek mental health
assistance at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals
monthly, are medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, members of the security
sector, university and college students and pupils from boarding schools.
This confirms that drug induced mental illness are not only
for the poor and unemployed people who live in the ghettos.
President Mnangagwa recently expressed concern at the rate
at which drugs were being abused in the country before instructing law
enforcement agents to smoke out and arrest drug peddlers. He was speaking at
the burial of the late national hero Father Emmanuel Ribeiro at the national
heroes’ acre.
The President said stern measures will be taken to stamp
out drug peddling and violent crimes that are threatening the country’s moral
fabric.
“Unbecoming trends such as the alarming entry of
destructive drugs into our jurisdiction, threaten the fate of our youth. To the
youth in general, bring honour to your families, communities, and nation.
“There is need therefore to redouble our collective fight
against this new phenomenon of drugs and harmful substance abuse. My Government
will thus continue to take stern measures to stamp out this growing threat. In
the same vein, gun-related crime will not be tolerated.
Law enforcement agencies and the courts must work in
concert to ensure that perpetrators of gun-related crimes, violent drug
kingpins, the supply chains, and drug vendors are definitely smoked out and
brought to book,” the President said.
While Parirenyatwa and Sally Mugabe are public
institutions, those who can afford can take their mentally ill relatives to
private clinics. Only when there is a compulsory treatment order does a patient
have to be in a public hospital. Parirenyatwa Hospital alone attends to about
800 mental health patients monthly with most of the ailments being related to
drugs. Most patients get help and go back home being treated as outpatients
although some have to be admitted.
Admission is only for those with serious illnesses that
they cannot go back home while most of them are sent back home after treatment.
The senior nursing officer at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital
Mr Nelson Makore said the figures are on the fast increase. He said 70 percent
of their psychiatric patients and drug-induced problems.
“Drug abuse is now high and this negatively impacts on the
mental health. In the past, depression was the major cause of mental health
problems here but because of the rampant abuse of crystal meth, BronCleer and
other substances, we now have drug induced psychosis as the major cause of the
ailments.
“Almost 70 percent of the patients we attend to, have
problems related to drug abuse and mutoriro is the new drug that is selling
more than anything else. It is highly addictive and it affects the mental
health of the people,” he said.
Mr Makore said the working population and other productive
groups of people are the most affected.
“In most cases, we attend to professionals like medical
doctors, nurses, police officers, soldiers and officers from the central
intelligence organisation who have drug induced psychosis.
“We also attend to university and college students as well
as school children who abuse drugs in boarding schools or in their
neighbourhood. Drug abuse is not only for the unemployed because the drugs are
expensive and those who can afford are the most affected.
The clinical matron at Sally Mugabe psychiatric unit Ms
Enety Mahove said the figures of drug-induced mental illnesses were increasing
quarterly.
“Between January and March this year, our outpatients
section of the psychiatric unit attended to 229 patients with drug induced
psychosis while 63 others were admitted.
“In the second quarter of the year, from April to June, the
outpatients figure rose from 229 to 301, while the number of those admitted
moved up from 63 to 97,” said Ms Mahove.
Ms Mahove said women were also among those with
drug-induced mental ailments.
“In the past drug abuse used to be a man’s practice but
women have joined in. We are attending to more women on ailments linked to drug
and substance abuse,” she said.
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals spokesperson Mr Linos Dhire
said his hospital’s psychiatric unit was now overwhelmed.
“Yes, there is an increase in the number of youths coming
to our mental health hospital with ailments related to drug and substance
abuse. This has caused a huge workload at the hospital because most of these
patients present as psychiatric emergency cases, especially with aggression and
suicide attempts. In these circumstances, extensive nursing interventions are
needed quickly as well as a lot of manpower to deal with such cases.
“Since the youths are now abusing new forms of substances
such as crystal meth, broncleer and other emerging drugs, there is pressure on
the part of practitioners to urgently fill the knowledge gap on how to handle
these new forms of drug and substance abuse,” said Mr Dhire.
Since the mental health unit handles an average of 800
patients, Mr Dhire said there was need for more staff.
“Moreover, many of the youths who come with substance and
drug abuse problems need to be admitted within a psychiatric institution for
stabilisation and detoxification which require more human resources.
“Even after being discharged from the psychiatric unit
these patients will still require our care as they will be coming for review
and also for different forms of psychotherapy and occupational therapy sessions
so that they can be rehabilitated and successfully re-integrated well in the
society,” he said.
Mr Dhire said some of the patients are referred to the unit
by the police.
“Individuals can become frankly psychotic which may result
in gender based violence, suicide, public indecency, depression or malicious
property destruction. They end up seeking mental health services such as
treatment and counselling. Some of the cases are referred from the Zimbabwe
Republic Police and rape clinics for assessment,” said.
Recently, police warned some rogue elements in its rank and
file, who are reportedly protecting peddlers of illegal drugs for a fee. In
most suburbs, criminal dealers sell dangerous drugs to adults and children in
broad day light, often not taking too many precautions to avoid notice, while
enjoying protection of some corrupt officers.
A Brazilian national, Guilherme Sodre Alvenaz da Silveria,
was recently intercepted at Robert Mugabe International Airport with a
consignment of more than 4kg cocaine, testifying to the existence of ready
market for the illicit drug in the country.Herald
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