Raising the Bar: Improving Mental Health Care in Africa

Presented by:

AMREF’S Coffeehouse Speakers Series on global development

Featuring:

Athena Madan PhD

“Mental health is crucial to the overall well-being of individuals,societies, and countries.

mhGAP Mental Health Gap Action Programme

Quotable

Source: http://www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap_final_english.pdf

Out of Africa, 1985

There is “no question that several forms of social disadvantage make people more vulnerable to a range of mental health problems.”

Vikram Patel, Global Mental Health Expert and Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Quotable

Source: http://thinkafricapress.com/health/mental-health-remains-invisible-problem-africa

About 30% of the total burden of noncommunicable diseases is due to mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders.

Did you know?

Source: http://www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap_final_english.pdf

"Everyone is putting their money in HIV, reproductive health, malaria. They need also to remember these unfunded priorities like mental health are cross-cutting, and are also affecting the performance of those other programmes like HIV and the rest.”

Sheila Ndyanabangi, Director of Mental Health at Uganda's Ministry of Health

Quotable

Source: http://www.irinnews.org/report/98680/rethinking-mental-health-in-africa

"There are still people who out of stigma label people with mental illnesses as mad. I don't think we should judge them for that ... we should [instead] take note of the gap and find ways to close it. As for raising awareness, I think we are getting there. We have NGOs, and our community radio stations are doing their bit in raising awareness.”

Bongile Gongo, nurse at the Mental Health Unit, Khayelitsha Site C Clinic, South Africa

Quotable

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201310281658.html

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 75-85 percent of people with severe mental disorders receive no treatment in low- and middle-income countries, compared to 35-50 percent in high-income countries.

Did you know?

Source: http://www.irinnews.org/report/98680/rethinking-mental-health-in-africa

"I think more needs to be done to educate families about mental illnesses.”

Nothemba Dinga, a social worker from KTC day hospital in Gugulethu

Quotable

Source: http://www.irinnews.org/report/98680/rethinking-mental-health-in-africa

Blood Diamond, 2006

A study from 2002 states that the average number of psychiatrists is 9/100,000 population in the European Region and 0.05/100,000 population in the African Region.

Ahmed Okasha, Mental health in Africa: the role of the WPA, World Psychiatry (2002)

Did you know?

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1489826/

"Access (to treatment) is limited to very few. And there is limited ethical understanding and commitment among caregivers.”

Seggane Musisi, professor of psychiatry at Makerere University, Uganda

Quotable

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/psychiatrists-decry-mental-health-care-africa-105405344.html

The education of the public should be given prominence in the development of mental health policies in Africa because many aspects of mental health care require the active collaboration of the community.

O. Gureje and A.Alem, Mental health policy development in Africa, World Health Organization, 2000

Quotable

Source: http://www.who.int/bulletin/archives/78%284%29475.pdf