The University of Namibia (UNAM), in partnership with the Ongwediva Town Council, hosted a World Mental Health Day commemoration at Ongwediva.
The event attracted a large crowd of community members, students, and healthcare professionals, all gathered under the theme "Community: Supporting Mental Wellbeing Together".
The commemoration focused on raising awareness about mental health issues, providing education on prevention, and encouraging people to speak openly about mental illness.
It also aimed to strengthen community support systems and promote collective efforts to improve mental well-being across the region.
Anna Haifete, Lecturer of Mental Health Nursing at UNAM Oshakati, explained that "Mental health doesn't have an owner. Everybody can be affected, whether white, black, children, or adults. I can say, young ones, boys and girls, any race can be affected by mental health."
Untreated mental illness continues to affect Namibians, a matter Haifete described as concerning.
"Most people don't know what is really happening in the surroundings or what is happening with their colleagues or with their school learners, for example, because of a lack of awareness. They are unaware of the illness; in this way, whether it is at work or not, it can even affect productivity and poor performance of the learners."
Dr. Ndapewa Nehale-Shifiona is a lecturer and coordinator in public health at the UNAM northern campus.
She said that "There is a chemical called dopamine that is the chemical that is at work when you start laughing. When you feel good, dopamine is at work, but when there is too much dopamine in your brain, you start showing some unacceptable behaviours."
The police, through Sergeant Victor Nghilengwa, shared a message for guardians who, they say, live in denial when their children use harmful substances.
"Parents nowadays are even saying my child was witched; the child needs to go to Ward 16 because they are smoking weed. Because of the dire consequences, I think it was already mentioned here what weed does to a person's brain. It makes you look like a mad person."