After having suffered physical abuse in Côte d'Ivoire during her childhood, then verbal abuse and sexual touching on three occasions, Lina* found herself completely isolated and had the impression of detaching herself from her body, of not no longer know who she was.
She falls into anorexia.
In 2019, she wants to get it over with by swallowing a glass of bleach.
"I only thought about dying. I didn't feel loved, I felt misunderstood, I felt like a burden for my loved ones," the 22-year-old Ivorian told France 24.
When she leaves the hospital, she is the victim of a new hard blow.
His mother dies.
The latter did not educate Lina because she also suffered from mental disorders.
“They said she was crazy, that she had been bewitched.
This mental health denial from Africa killed my mother.
If her mental disorders had been taken seriously and treated, she would be here today” regrets the one who is still struggling with depression.
Lina is not the only Ivorian to see suicide as the ultimate solution.
According to a study by the Forensic Medicine Unit of the Anatomopathology Department of the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Treichville in Abidjan, 23 people out of 100,000 commit suicide each year, mainly among 20-29 year olds.
A population that does not dare to ask for help for fear of being stigmatized.
"Not Witchcraft"
Nourah Gbané has made raising awareness her weapon of war.
She created the NGO Together CI two years ago, after a depression.
The 22-year-old communications student wants to help young people learn about and talk about the importance of mental well-being.
Emotional dependence, hypersensitivity, depression or even bipolarity, no subject is taboo.
This afternoon, she has an appointment with a dozen teenagers.
"Do you take care of your mental health?"
launches Nourah to the youth of the Daher football academy in Abidjan.
Some scratch their heads, others lower their eyes, only one or two hands are raised to answer.
"I admit I don't take enough care of myself and my mental health, but I know it's important" replies Bernardin Kouakou shyly, his club's black and orange jersey on his back.
"My family has an impact on my mental health, says another, what can I do?"
In order for the message to be better perceived, Nourah bases her argument on their passion.
"As a footballer, you will be exposed to criticism. You must not be afraid to speak up, confide in the right people, those who do not judge you and do not minimize your discomfort. Depression is not madness is not sorcery".
And one of their coaches to outbid: "Football is mental, if in the head it does not go on the ground, it will not go". After two hours of exchanges, Nourah concludes by sharing resources useful such as contacts of psychologists and Instagram pages that deal with mental health.
social media vector
The list includes the number of Yasmine Mouaine, known as "Yasmine neuropsy" on Instagram.
This neuropsychologist uses social networks to reach as many young people as possible.
In her office, located in a southern district of Abidjan, the therapist takes the time, in addition to her consultations, to record awareness videos.
She learns there how to address a person in distress, what to say and what not to say.
"We validate the emotions by saying: 'don't be ashamed of what you feel, you have the right'. Above all, you must not rush the person so the idea would be to tell him: 'you don't have to to talk right now you can talk about it whenever you want, do you need me to be there,'" she explains in a voice in a video.
Suicide is the theme of his latest video.
"Suicide is not a sign of cowardice. A suicide attempt is above all the warning signal that a person sends out to say that they can't take it anymore. Suicide is the result of a long period of suffering"
,
recalls Yasmine Mouaine.
The 26-year-old neuropsychologist uses the communication channels of her generation to get her message across.
"Instagram can be a tool of destruction in the sense that it is the place where comparison, jealousy, frustration and appearance can arise. But I choose to make it a tool of repair by sending useful information to people who cannot consult for lack of means or out of fear", specifies Yasmine Mouaine to France 24.
Unemployment, deschooling and social pressure
Citizen initiatives are numerous in Côte d'Ivoire, but mental health specialists are less so.
There are less than a hundred psychologists in Abidjan, the economic capital, for 6 million inhabitants.
Not to mention their price, which is around 20,000 CFA francs (30 euros) for a minimum wage that does not exceed 75,000 CFA francs (115 euros).
What to slow down and make the figures on suicide alarming.
In January, three cases of suicide, including two students and a teacher, scandalized Ivorian public opinion.
A year earlier, a report in Côte d'Ivoire already warned of this growing phenomenon.
Of 24,000 deaths, 101 were suicides.
"The Ivorian citizen faces very strong social pressure on a daily basis: the cost of transport which varies every day, the high cost of living, the reduction in purchasing power. In addition, you have a youth who face the unemployment or the difficulties of entrepreneurship", sociologist Albert Yao told France 24.
According to him, these factors explain why Côte d'Ivoire is in the top 3 African countries most affected by suicide.
The Ivorian authorities seem to be aware of the situation.
Among the action plans under consideration is the recruitment of psychologists in public hospitals in order to make them more accessible to the population.
This will also guarantee that patients will be covered by health insurance.
While waiting for this project to materialize, the Ministry of Health is relying on the training of professionals in order to detect and direct patients who show alarming signs.
"The collective conscience associates the shrink with the one who treats madness. Going to visit a shrink would therefore amount to indexing the one who goes there as a 'crazy'. This is why the majority prefer to turn to religious guides for the management of psychological disorders,
notes Albert Yao
.
The sociologist remains convinced that if the right tools are made available to Ivorians, they will have a different perception of mental health.
*Name changed
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