Mental Health with its dire consequences like depression and in very extreme cases insanity, has for a long time affected young people in Universities and other institutions of learning.
Every 10th of October, the world commemorates the Mental Health Day to create an opportunity for the world to come together and shine a light on one of the most neglected areas in public health.
According to Mental Health Uganda, in commemoration of the day, they hope to engage key influencers of public opinion in the country to speak out on mental health and draw public attention to it through various platforms to reach out to people.
Riding under a theme, “Community Mental Health, Leaving No One Behind”, they have organised a live stream scheduled for tomorrow at 11am to discuss matters Mental Health in Uganda.
The Community Dialogue, that will be broadcast across their social media platforms will feature among others, Mr. Allan Nsubuga a Community Psychologist, Ms Sarah Tushemereirwe, the Regional Vice President of the World Federation for Mental Health, Ms Brenda Abiria a Mental Health ‘Champion’ and Mr Yahaya Nsenge – a Hip Hop artiste moderated by Ms Elizabeth Kasujja, a Public Health Specialist and Founder of Clear Yo Mind.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has affected billions of people worldwide and taken a toll on the mental health of not only those with pre-existing conditions but created depression, anxiety and many have died from related causes like drug and substance abuse and yet Mental Health remains ignored with many mental health facilities have been converted to isolation units for COVID-19 patients.
Close to 1 billion people are living with a mental disorder, 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide yet, relatively few people around the world have access to quality mental health services.
In low- and middle-income countries, more than 75% of people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders receive no treatment for their condition at all. Furthermore, stigma, discrimination, punitive legislation and human rights abuses are still widespread.
Join the discussion tomorrow on Mental Health and how you can help yourself and your loved ones from the consequencies of the condition.
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