The founder of a private mental health clinic, Care Unit in Rundu, says more residents are becoming aware of the benefits of looking after their mental health.

Berthiliah Simbaranda-Vistor says the stigma that was once associated with seeking help is slowly wearing off.

Care Unit opened its doors about a year ago.

Even though there are very few mental health experts in Rundu, Simbaranda-Vistor was not really sure if residents were going to open up.

'I didn't really expect a lot of people to come initially because of how I know how people think about, you know, such services. In the beginning, it was really hard."

Today, her clinic sees about 50 people per month, including teenagers, young adults, and children.

"Major issues in children are usually anxiety issues, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, that they are going through a collapse here and there, or they have sleepless nights, or they're unable to cope in school. Bullying is another issue that is contributing to the mental health of children. Also abuse. Abuse in homes, abuse by relatives We also come across cases of rape."

The teenagers who frequent Care Unit are usually dealing with issues of alcohol and drug abuse.

"You will find groups of children that are attacking people, starting from the age of 10 to 13. You'd find them in groups, and they're just waiting to attack. And when you actually look into the matter in detail, you will realise that some of these children are coming from well-off families."

Simbaranda-Vistor says young adults, on the other hand, are mostly struggling with relationship- and finance-related matters.

"Graduates come out and get jobs, and then they get themselves into loans. So at the end of the day, you have $1,000 in your pocket and you have to buy food, you have to buy toiletries, he has to support your parents, he has to support the other children, and that becomes a problem."

Care Unit also deals with a number of paternity cases, including counselling sessions.

"We've seen cases where a father would find out that the child is not his, and he'd go kill the child, kill the mother, or do something bad to themselves."

The social worker is advising people to prioritise their mental health.