âBeing raised by a mother with schizophrenia was hardâ
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Ziphozihle Ntlanganiso, a 31-year-old accountant based in Johannesburg and hails from Qonce, Eastern Cape, says being raised by a Schizophrenic mother was hard.
She was raised by a mother who suffers from schizophrenia and grew up with a mother who was labelled or known as igeza or ihlanya (crazy) - a very common way of naming people with mental illness in some undeveloped or rural areas in South Africa.
âThe journey is lonely and difficult to talk about because of the stigma it carries and how poorly understood it is by our communities. Mental healthcare users are often advised that they are âbewitchedâ â when in fact, this is a chemical imbalance that can be adequately managed with consistent treatment and support,â says Ntlanganiso.