Southern Province Mental Health Coordinator, Harrison Simukonda, has urged parents and guardians to create a conducive environment where children can express themselves freely.
Dr Simukonda notes that children that are going through mental health breakdown cannot express themselves to parents they are scared of.
Dr Simukonda stated that when children are free to express themselves to their parents, it creates easy interaction.
“Children can commit suicide because they are not free to express themselves, we need to connect with our children in order to curb mental health breakdown ” he said.
He added that parents and guardians need to teach their children how to ask for help when they are struggling.
“As parents, guardians, teachers and the community at large, we need to learn how to listen to our children rather than lecturing our children,” he said.
He traces that children’s brains are not fully developed hence the need to give them space to learn and understand life as adults would.
Dr Simukonda noted that when parents ignore their children’s communication, it is hard for children to communicate to their parents when they have serious issues.
” It is not every time that a child should be punished when they make a mistake, sometimes as parents you need to talk and give your child emotional support “he said.
Dr Simukonda adds that when Children are not being mentally taken care of, they slowly lose themselves and sometimes they result in drug abuse.
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