A Frightening Encounter
Have you had any frightening encounter with a stranger? I bet you have! What lesson did you learn from it?
I remember such an encounter that I had about twelve years ago. I was driving to town from home in the morning and I saw this relatively young woman standing by the road side, seeking transportation. It looked like it was going to rain and she appeared to be rather worried. I therefore stopped my car and offered to give her a ride. She then gratefully hopped into my car.
“Where are you going to, please?” I asked.
“I’m going to the Mental Hospital”, she calmly replied. (That was how we commonly referred to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.)
Following her reply, my heart missed a beat. I struggled to keep an impassive expression on my face, whereas in reality, all sorts of thoughts were racing in my head. Fear and a sense of foreboding suddenly filled me. This made my blood run cold. Had I unknowingly picked up a mentally-deranged person? What if she was violent and tried to harm me? How would I defend myself? Was I safe in the car?
“So, what are you going to do there?”, I gently asked, while driving and pondering various escape options in my head in the case of an emergency. Maybe I could just stop the car and ran away with the key to the car if things got out of hand.
I couldn’t help remembering with dread, a movie that I had watched years ago entitled,”The Hitch-Hiker”. In the movie, two guys picked up a hitchhiker who turned out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. They thought that he was going to harm them and as such, they were terrified throughout the journey. Was this incident going to be a re-run of The Hitch-Hiker?
Post-partum depression
“I suffer from post partum depression,” she replied. “After I had my baby, I had frequent bouts of sadness during which I became disinterested in all that was happening around me. As a result, I even lost interest in living. My husband was therefore exasperated with my behaviour and abandoned me. Fortunately, a family member took me to the hospital and the doctor made a diagnosis of post partum depression. Since then, I have been going to the Mental Hospital periodically to see the doctor. Presently, I am taking a course of medication to address this situation,” she patiently narrated.
A Sigh of Relief
I therefore heaved a big sigh of relief. It appeared that danger was not looming over my head, after all. Post-partum depression could affect any woman. The important thing was that the doctor had made a diagnosis and was treating her. After that, we chatted amicably about general topics for the rest of the journey. I eventually dropped her at the hospital uneventfully. Consequently, I silently thanked God that all went well without any eventualities.
Soul-searching
As a result of this incident, I did a lot of soul-searching. I started thinking about our negative attitudes towards mental health challenges in general and our prejudices against people with mental health challenges. From my musings, I realised that consciously or subconsciously, we discriminate against people with mental health challenges. We tend to forget that that person with a mental health challenge could be us, one day. Is that how we would want people to treat us?
Overcoming Prejudice
Thus, I decided to read and learn more about mental health. I believed that gaining education about a subject was one of the best ways to curb prejudice against it. Ignorance only clouds our sense of judgement. Irrational behaviour occurs as a result. Empathy is key.
As a result of this experience with the young woman, I gained more education about mental health. I also buried my prejudices against people with mental health challenges and I had more empathy towards them.
Sometimes, we just need to get out of our comfort zones and overcome our prejudices. You never know the difference that your little act of kindness might make to someone else. Tomorrow, you may be the one who needs a helping hand. Let us plant a seed of kindness today! We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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So relatable! Thank you!
I’m glad you like it and find it relatable! 😊 You’re most welcome.
Thanks for shedding light on this particular prejudice! It’s a relief to know she was getting help for her post-partum depression. More homes would be happier if we understood the role of mental health institutions. #MentalHealthAwareness
That’s so true 👍
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Very insightful comments 👏
Thanks so much!
‘What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look’; the dirtier the window, the blurrier the image we see. Remember that our inability to see the image clearly may not necessarily be as a result of the image not being clear, but rather as a result of our filter being blurred. This is prejudice.
Each of us therefore has to clean her window regularly to ensure a better appreciation of the things we perceive – light illuminates and clears our vision.
We know in part and therefore, prejudice is inevitable. Our RECOGNITION of this fact should drive us do our bit by cleaning our windows and thereby allowing light to bring illumination, clarity and a better appreciation of issues, than generate heat (same source of energy as light) which has the potential of burning and destroying everything along its path. That is what prejudice can do when left uncontrolled.
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And yes, you were so right that gaining education about a subject is one of the best ways to curb prejudice, as ignorance clouds our sense of judgement.
I choose to generate light but not heat.
Thank you for bringing this up.
Very insightful comments 👏
Most grateful 🙏
Prejudices indeed.At the mention of Mental Hospital you formed your own conclusions but it’s possible she was going there to visit someone. Beautiful piece.Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I immediately jumped to conclusions when she mentioned “Mental Hospital.” The effect of prejudice! You’re most welcome, please. 🙏
This is an emotional encounter with an innocent woman who had depression through childbirth. Life indeed is strange and full of uncertainties.
Heidi, you had every reason to be apprehensive because madness is associated with violence and curses in our Ghanaian society.
Did you say that her husband abandoned her because of the depression? Oh, men !!! Very sad story. Thanks for sharing your experience once again with your audience.
Yes, life is indeed strange and full of uncertainties. I was indeed scared about the possibility of violence. And yes, her husband abandoned her because of her depression. Very unfortunate. At least, she was being treated. May God help us all. 🙏
Lovely piece! Very true that most of the times, we judge situations according to our prejudices. Instead, we ought to look at new situations and people in an objective manner.
Yes, that’s so true. We should indeed try to be more objective and empathetic. 😊🙏
Thanks for sharing this powerful piece with us. It is a very important topic for us as a people.
It is commendable, your style of writing, particularly your organisation and the diction. It motivates reading.
Keep it up.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. 😊
Thanks for the compliments. 🙏
It’ was an emotional encounter with a depressed woman who needed help. Notwithstanding the many uncertainties that greeted your mind, the end result was a useful life experiences that you’ve rightfully shared with us.
Very sad experience. Women go through a lot after delivery. Did you say her husband abandoned her???
Yes, he did. May God help us all!
Omg!!! Very insightful……keep up the good work.
Thanks so much 🙏
Very interesting. This is good in bringing awareness on mental health.
Thanks 😊
Hmmm…Very insightful. This took me back to a lesson in criminal law. We learnt that every person is presumed insane until proven otherwise. Thank you for sharing your experience with us and educating us.
Thanks for the analogy to criminal law! And you’re most welcome 😄
Indeed, ignorance clouds our sense of judgment, and only education can control most of our actions. I am grateful for sharing an insightful experience. Great!
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the article! You’re most welcome, please. 😀
The world is lovely, and it becomes much more lovely when we provide a helping hand or show empathy in certain circumstances. At that particular period of the woman’s life, you were an angel and a blessing! Although this is how life is supposed to be, occasionally the unpleasant things leave us with regret. However, we fervently hope that our good deeds and sacrifices would deliver us from all perils. Amen. Great piece Madam.
Yes, we should be ready to lend a helping hand to others. We could easily be the ones you need help, one day.
Heidi, I have had very interesting moments with persons with such conditions, but once I ended up in court with one of them. This was a guy I had formed a very close friendship with. He would wait for me every evening and even walk me home. One Saturday afternoon, he turned up in my house with a cutlass, threatening that I owed him money. Fast-forward, we eneded at the police station. He was arrested, and we went to court. I couldn’t believe my eyes when my friend ran to me and began begging.
I left the court in tears that day, pleading with my parents to let him go. How could there be an ailment that could just turn a man so aggressive and threatening to kill, now begging?
We are just fragile, I concluded
This is a very interesting experience! It’s very scary and shocking, too! We are indeed very fragile. May the Good Lord help us all!
Awesome. Many will relate to this great piece.
Thanks so much 🙏
Hmmmmm. Its so with all of us. We will be apprehensive at first, but i guess we’ll be fine. All of us unstable at some point.
That’s so true. We pray for God’s mercies. 🙏