Clinical Psychologist Dr. Mourine Amani Mugenya has attributed the growing cases of mental health disorders, addiction and violence to unresolved childhood experiences, emotional suppression and trauma that often goes untreated into adulthood.
Speaking during a Radio Generation interview on Wednesday, Dr. Mugenya said many behavioural challenges seen in adults are deeply connected to how individuals were raised, their early attachment patterns and the environments in which they grew up. She cautioned that failure to address these issues early can allow mental health conditions to worsen and contribute to harmful social outcomes.
According to the psychologist, men are particularly affected by societal expectations that discourage emotional expression from a young age, leaving many without the tools or support needed to discuss their struggles.
“Men suffer from silence. They don't have a lot of avenues. They don't even have the language to talk about what they are facing inwardly. If I myself struggle internally with the issues that I am facing, I don't even know how to start breaking down and being vulnerable,” she highlighted.
Dr. Mugenya noted that while women are generally socialised to express emotions more openly, many men are taught to conceal their feelings, a pattern she said can have serious consequences later in life.
She warned that emotions that remain buried often reappear in the form of mental health challenges or destructive behaviours.
“By the time someone is hitting another, or abusing drugs or gambling, the anger is a symptom, but underneath what are we dealing with? We are emotional beings. If emotions are always suppressed, it leads to depression, anxiety and addiction,” she explained.
The psychologist further pointed to childhood attachment as a key factor in determining how individuals cope with emotions, relationships and stress as adults.
“There is something called attachment theory developed by John Bowlby and expanded by Mary Ainsworth. How a child is responded to in times of need influences how their brain is imprinted.”
She explained that children who receive comfort and support from caregivers during difficult moments are more likely to develop emotional security and healthy coping mechanisms.
“A child learns that when I get hurt, I can run to my mother or father, and they will comfort me. They learn it is okay to be vulnerable, to cry, and to seek help,” the doctor explained.
However, she said children raised in environments where emotional expression is discouraged may develop unhealthy coping patterns that persist into adulthood.
“In avoidant attachment, a child is told ‘stop crying, man up, boys don't cry’. So they suppress emotions and avoid vulnerability. They grow up unable to seek help.”
Dr. Mugenya also linked substance abuse and mental illness to early brain development, noting that exposure to drugs at a young age can create long-lasting effects that become difficult to reverse.
“When a child starts experimenting on drugs at a young age, the brain develops pathways that make it very hard to break later. The prefrontal cortex, which helps with judgment and logic, fully develops by age 25,” she elaborated.
She added that unresolved trauma from childhood can contribute to severe outcomes in later life, including aggression, self-destructive behaviour and suicide.
Dr. Mugenya stressed that recovery from mental health challenges requires more than addressing symptoms, saying long-term healing depends on retraining the brain, receiving consistent psychological support and dealing with the underlying trauma. She warned that relapse remains a risk when the root causes and surrounding environment are not adequately addressed.
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