Uganda sees 25 per cent spike in mental health cases over four years
Dr Juliet Nakku, Executive Director of Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital, has attributed the rise in mental health cases to factors such as alcohol and substance abuse, economic hardship and torture.
Uganda recorded a total of 616,175 mental health cases in the 2023/24 financial year, up from 491,013 in the 2020/21 financial year, representing a 25 per cent increase, data from the country's Ministry of Health has revealed.
Additionally, an increase of 16 per cent was observed in the number of outpatient attendances due to mental health conditions in FY 2023/24.
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According to the report, epilepsy was the most commonly reported mental health condition in Uganda during the 2023/24 financial year, accounting for 280,451 cases. It was followed by unipolar depressive disorder with 96,277 cases, bipolar disorder at 58,446, and anxiety disorders with 47,721 cases.
Schizophrenia (28,843 cases), anxiety disorders related to gender-based violence (14,097), post-traumatic stress disorder (12,396), and HIV-related psychosis, which registered 9,613 cases, rounded up the list of the top eight common mental health illnesses in Uganda.
"Epilepsy remains the most common mental health condition, constituting 45.5% of attendances, followed by Unipolar Depressive Disorder at 15.6% and bipolar disorders at 9.5%. The number of attendances due to unipolar depressive disorder increased significantly by 53% from 44,824 in FY 2022/23 to 96,277 in 2023/24 (15)," the report reads.
In the period under review, outpatient attendance due to mental health conditions was highest among females aged 20 years and above (41%) compared to other population groups.
Outpatient attendances due to alcohol use disorder and substance use disorders are three times more common among males than females.
Dr Juliet Nakku, Executive Director of Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital, has attributed the rise in mental health cases to factors such as alcohol and substance abuse, economic hardship and torture.
She noted that nearly 30 per cent of the hospital's admissions are linked to alcohol or drug-related issues, with many Ugandans turning to alcohol to cope with stress.
"First of all, there's a lot of access to alcohol. That's why we need to have a law that provides some control, especially for young people. We hope that this law will come, but there are other reasons," she told the Monitor.
"Economic stress causes people to be unable to manage their affairs or to meet their obligations. This may be due to poverty, unemployment, or underemployment. And this causes a lot of stress and mental ill health.
Dr Nakku added that the country's poor education system and neglect from parents have contributed to a rise in the number of mental health issues among children.
"We have also seen and severely talked about inappropriately planned academic programmes in our schools that do not allow children to sleep enough or even to play," she said.
"I think this is something we need to deal with in our schools because it is damaging to our young developing brains and is causing mental ill health."
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