You are not alone: emotional support available at NWU

The recent death by suicide of South African rapper, producer, singer, songwriter and fashion designer Rikhado Muziwendlovu Makhado, known as Riky Rick, once again placed the spotlight on mental health, especially among men. 

Many students at the North-West University (NWU) face challenges daily, which makes emotional support services such as Thuso (formerly known as Ingryp), the psychological services provided by Student Counselling and Development (SCD) on the Potchefstroom campus, essential. 

A third-year public governance with public administration student (20) is one of many students living with the reality of mental illness. She said she failed her first year because of depression and social withdrawal. 

“One day, I was lying on the floor with a knife in my hand and wanted to just stick it in, but I remembered that it’s going to be painful, and I hate pain,” she said.

According to Tercia Mabhongo (21), a postgraduate student in management at the NWU and mental wellness advocate, mental health refers to the overall emotional, social and psychological well-being of a person. 

“Different factors such as your social and economic status, environment and childhood background have an influence on your mental health,” she said.

Mabhongo and the public governance student both said that being alone triggers emotional problems, although they have different views on the effects of isolation. For Mabhongo, moving from a “lively” family to living alone in “quiet” Potchefstroom affected her mental health. For the public governance student, being home meant that she had to suppress her emotions only to “let everything out” in Potchefstroom. “When I am in Potch, without anyone seeing me, I lie down, breathe and cry,” she said. 

The NWU’s SCD offers psychological support across all three campuses, from personal growth to working through mental health emergencies. They want to ensure the well-being of all students, also by employing peer helpers in residences.

Suané Smit (21), a peer helper at Wag-’n-Bietjie women’s residence, said her role is to provide psycho-emotional support by observing and following up on emotional duress and referring the student to an expert. If a situation does not require immediate expert intervention, she may initiate up to three individual sessions before referring the student to Thuso. Smit said that peer helpers also debrief first-years during registration and orientation (R&O) and hold at least four interventions at the residence, one of which must be on alcohol and substance abuse.

Smit said that peer helpers receive training on supporting students struggling with depression, suicidal thoughts, stress, anxiety and loss.

Ludwig Gruber (21), a peer helper at De Wilgers men’s residence, said he mainly deals with issues concerning academic stress, adapting to new environments and helping students apply for educational concessions.

Gruber said that men rarely come forward due to cultural expectations perpetuating the idea that talking about emotions make one weak. This leaves them vulnerable: not knowing how to talk about their feelings or deal with stress. “Their friends will come to you and ask you to intervene. So, you go and talk to them alone, and then it comes out,” Gruber said. 

He said that Thuso no longer takes walk-ins, which influences students’ willingness to talk about their issues. “Seeing that you can only be helped in three or four weeks’ time makes some students give up hope.”

However, Thuso has an emergency helpline available, Smit emphasised.

Smit said she noticed an issue among first-years: adapting to a new environment without essential emotional support systems. Social isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic affected emotional growth, leading students to a place where they do not have emotional resilience.

According to Gruber, another reason students do not ask for help is the belief that free services such as Thuso “must be dodgy or something”. 

“This has a lot to do with how they were raised. They don’t use free services, and they don’t talk about emotions,” he said.

The public governance student said she does not use Thuso’s services because she is not ready to unpack her emotions. “I admit that I have a mental health problem, but I am not ready to talk about it and be taken back to my childhood days,” she said.

Another student* who prefers to remain unidentified said, “It is essential to break the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health. A family member nearly killed themself because they were afraid to talk about it.” 

Smit encourages students who struggle with mental health issues to focus on their emotional well-being and connect with people. “If you grow your community, you will have a bigger support system,” Smit said.

*The family member in question is a student at the NWU and the individual did not want to compromise their confidentiality by revealing their identity. – Elsje-Marié Jordaan and Reitumetse Mooki