Zim, Malawi researchers tackle maternal mental health
Words by Roselyne Sachiti - The Herald; Features, Health and Society Editor
Maternal mental health is an important, but often misunderstood health issue being faced by many women of child-bearing age in Africa and beyond.
Maternal mental health problems can range from anxiety, delusions — thoughts or beliefs that are unlikely to be true, a manic mood, low mood and depression to psychosis, yet in many instances, society has no clue of the causes, pointing the finger towards witchcraft, spiritual issues, bad luck among others.
Many stories of mothers refusing to breastfeed their new born babies, disconnected from baby (baby does not feel like its theirs), experiencing nightmares, vivid dreams among others have been told, yet no one has really put a finger on the exact causes.
In worst cases, mothers have killed their new born babies and charged with infanticide in courts of law. Others have taken their own lives.
To find out more on the condition and possibly find solutions that fit like hand in glove, two young female researchers Malinda Kaiyo Utete of Zimbabwe and Mwawi Ng’oma of Malawi are each tackling the issues from different angles.
The two are PHD fellows under the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI), which is part of the Wellcome Trust’s programme for Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science (DELTAS) in Africa.