Mental health cases in women high since Covid-19, say experts

Experts have expressed concern about the increasing number of women with mental health cases since the outbreak of Covid-19.

Mr Edward Sempiira, the Executive Director of Lifeback Foundation Rehabilitation Centre, said they are overwhelmed by a big turnout of females seeking mental health treatment.

Mr Sempiira was speaking during an engagement with musicians, mental health experts, and the Ministry of Health officials in Kampala on May 1.

“Currently our capacity is 50 clients and of these, 40 percent are female, but before [Covid], the number was low, at 20 percent,” he said.

Mr Sempiira added that new drugs have also contributed to the increasing cases of mental health.

“Currently drugs are packed in cakes, chocolates, sweets, and other quick foods, and this has affected the young generation more,” he said

He added that in their facility, the common age bracket they normally receive is 18 to 35 years, with the majority having abused marijuana and alcohol.

“We also have people who are 50 years old who check in for treatment as a result of alcohol addiction, depression, stress, and family-related issue but their number is low compared to the youth,” he said.

He also noted that they have got reports that in eastern Uganda, people have started using human grey hair as a drug.

Intervention

Dr Hafsa Lukwata, the head of the Mental Health division at the Ministry of Health, said they have been struggling to reach out to musicians and artistes on the issue of mental health because they are the main victims.

“Before Covid-19, different categories of people were facing challenges of mental health, especially musicians, breaking down and keeping it to themselves but luckily when we started talking about it, people have appreciated our initiative,” she said.

She added that young people are vulnerable to drug abuse because the moment they start taking them at an early stage, it means they struggle to stop the vice. Mr Martin Nkoyoyo, a member of the Uganda National Musicians Federation, welcomed the initiative by the ministry to reach out to artistes, saying it will lead to a positive change in mental health treatment.

“The event seeks to address the prevalent mental health challenges faced by musicians, particularly focusing on depression, anxiety, and substance abuse,” he said.

He added that artistes often encounter online harassment and peer pressure, leading them to mental health issues. Mr Sempiira also urged Parliament to pass the Bill on alcohol control into law if they are to reduce mental health cases in the country.

“Legislators should support the Bill because it’s for the good of the country; it does not take away the use of alcohol but it controls the consumption rate,” he said.

The Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill, 2023, which seeks to regulate the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks, was presented for its first reading to Parliament in November 2023.

The Bill, which also seeks to prohibit the sale of alcoholic drinks to children, was tabled by Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi. The most common drugs used in Uganda include marijuana, cocaine, heroin, khat (mairungi), and kuber (tobacco)

What WHO says

This comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) expresses concern about the high number of mental health illnesses in Uganda amid shortage of trained psychiatrists. Dr Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, WHO Country Representative, said about 14 million Ugandans suffer from mental health-related illnesses with one specialist for one million people. He made the remarks at the launch of the mental health campaign led by Nnaabagereka Sylvia Nagginda Luswata on May 1.

Dr Yonas said globally, WHO predicts that 970m people will be suffering from mental health illnesses every year.