Browsing by Subject "Mental health facilities"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    An overview of Uganda's mental health care system: results from an assessment using the world health organization's assessment instrument for mental health systems (WHO-AIMS)
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2010) Kigozi, Fred; Ssebunnya, Joshua; Kizza, Dorothy; Cooper, Sara; Ndyanabangi, Sheila; Mental Health and Poverty Project
    BACKGROUND: The Ugandan government recognizes mental health as a serious public health and development concern, and has of recent implemented a number of reforms aimed at strengthening the country's mental health system. The aim of this study was to provide a profile of the current mental health policy, legislation and services in Uganda. METHODS: A survey was conducted of public sector mental health policy and legislation, and service resources and utilisation in Uganda, in the year 2005, using the World Health Organization's Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS) Version 2.2. RESULTS: Uganda's draft mental health policy encompasses many positive reforms, including decentralization and integration of mental health services into Primary Health Care (PHC). The mental health legislation is however outdated and offensive. Services are still significantly underfunded (with only 1% of the health expenditure going to mental health), and skewed towards urban areas. Per 100,000 population, there were 1.83 beds in mental hospitals, 1.4 beds in community based psychiatric inpatient units, and 0.42 beds in forensic facilities. The total personnel working in mental health facilities were 310 (1.13 per 100,000 population). Only 0.8% of the medical doctors and 4% of the nurses had specialized in psychiatry. CONCLUSION: Although there have been important developments in Uganda's mental health policy and services, there remains a number of shortcomings, especially in terms of resources and service delivery. There is an urgent need for more research on the current burden of mental disorders and the functioning of mental health programs and services in Uganda.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Stakeholder's perceptions of help-seeking behaviour among people with mental health problems in Uganda
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2011) Nsereko, James; Kizza, Dorothy; Kigozi, Fred; Ssebunnya, Joshua; Ndyanabangi, Sheila; Flisher, Alan; Cooper, Sara; MHaPP Research Programme Consortium
    INTRODUCTION: Mental health facilities in Uganda remain underutilized, despite efforts to decentralize the services. One of the possible explanations for this is the help-seeking behaviours of people with mental health problems. Unfortunately little is known about the factors that influence the help-seeking behaviours. Delays in seeking proper treatment are known to compromise the outcome of the care.AIM:To examine the help-seeking behaviours of individuals with mental health problems, and the factors that may influence such behaviours in Uganda. METHOD:Sixty-two interviews and six focus groups were conducted with stakeholders drawn from national and district levels. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted using a framework analysis approach. RESULTS: The findings revealed that in some Ugandan communities, help is mostly sought from traditional healers initially, whereas western form of care is usually considered as a last resort. The factors found to influence help-seeking behaviour within the community include: beliefs about the causes of mental illness, the nature of service delivery, accessibility and cost, stigma. CONCLUSION: Increasing the uptake of mental health services requires dedicating more human and financial resources to conventional mental health services. Better understanding of socio-cultural factors that may influence accessibility, engagement and collaboration with traditional healers and conventional practitioners is also urgently required.