[ 2016-06-14 ]

I attempted suicide because of HIV Stigma-Joyce Dzidzor
After coming under a barrage of attacks and
insults from the public last year for claiming
that she had lied to the public about being HIV
positive, former HIV-AIDS ambassador, Joyce
Dzidzor Mensah, has come out to explain.

In an interview with Showbiz on Friday, Joyce
explained that she was indeed HIV-Positive but the
stigma she and her children experienced after
disclosing her status to the public affected her
mentally, led to depression and gave her suicidal
thoughts.

“When I started educating people about HIV/AIDS
related issues, I was very open and prepared to
talk about everything related to the condition.
However, I started being stigmatised and after
experiencing that for so long, I became depressed
and took many wrong decisions. I even attempted
suicide and had to be rescued. If I were not
depressed, I would never have come out to deny my
status,” she said.

Joyce explained that her physiological condition
had been diagnosed and she received treatment in
Germany and is currently continuing with treatment
and receiving medication at the Accra Psychiatric
Hospital.

Joyce told Showbiz that she had moved on from that
chapter in her life and was now happily married to
a young, supportive guy who does not care about
the opinions and perception of others.

“People condemn my new husband for even
considering marrying me. They claim I don’t
deserve him and that I am a liar but regardless,
he is giving me all the support and is encouraging
me to go on,” she said.

Joyce said her experience has made her regret
disclosing her HIV status and acting as an
HIV/AIDS ambassador. “There are many people who
are infected and have kept their status secret and
living normal lives, as long as they are taking
their medication, they don’t have to worry about
being stigmatised.

People only stigmatise you when they know you have
the condition. If they don’t know, you live a
much better life,” she said.

She said although the public has been educated
about HIV/AIDS related issues, this has not
affected how people living with the condition are
treated by others. “We think because of the
education that encourages the public to hug
persons with the condition, enough has been done.
It goes beyond just a hug or a handshake. The real
test comes when you have to live in the same house
with people like me and eat from the same bowl or
share facilities. People pretend to shake hands
with me but will not visit me in my home and even
when they do, they refuse to eat or drink anything
I offer them,” she said.

“Truthfully, the people who received any
positive effect from my campaigns are the people
with HIV who previously didn’t have any hope.
They now know that it is possible to live
productive lives regardless of their status
because they see others doing the same. I will
personally not encourage anyone to disclose their
status publicly because nothing has changed.

The general public has learned nothing, people
continue to refer to me as an AIDS patient
although we have explained the difference between
HIV and AIDS on numerous occasions, and it
doesn’t make sense. People still abandon their
infected relatives in hospitals even after all the
education that has been done,” she added.

Joyce said that as a result of her depression and
subsequent treatment, she has planned to take up
the cause of people with mental conditions in
order to educate the public about their plight and
ensure a much better standard of living for them.

Source - Daily Graphic

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