Erica was a 26-year-old patient of mine who I had been seeing for a good close to three years. She would come and see me once every month together with her mum, you know, for review. But Erica actually lived some 300 kilometers from where I am. And she'd made a lot of progress over the years but then one night took an overdose. Her mother said they couldn't go to your hospital because we didn't have a bus there; it cost like $10. As a result, Erica couldn't really get the help that she needed.
For Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re revisiting some of our favorite conversations with scientists about how to live healthier, happier lives.
Psychiatrist Dr. Dixon Chibanda has been on a mission for years to help people gain access to mental healthcare in his community. In Zimbabwe, there is only one psychiatrist for every 1.5 million people. To bridge the gap and provide folks with the help they so desperately need, Dixon turned to a rather unorthodox group for help: grandmothers.
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