Leadership one of the fundamental solutions to mental illness in Uganda
Leadership one of the fundamental solutions to mental illness in Uganda
Mental illness is defined as a health condition that changes a person’s thinking, feelings, or behaviour and that causes a person distress and difficulty in doing his or her daily routine.
Leadership is defined as a dynamic process of influencing people with zeal in the realization of goals and objectives at community, organizational, national and global levels.
Effective leadership is paramount in the sense that leaders should put their act together and make it one of the major policy issues in this country so that people from all walks of life can be well informed about the dangers of mental illness. These policy issues could go a long way in improving facilities and producing more well-trained psychiatrists. Leaders could influence policy towards the realization of enough hospitals both at national and local levels. All leaders and stakeholders should also put their act together in order to get rid of other diseases like malaria since mental illness is related to these epidemics. We need to involve Universities; Community Based Organizations in order to combat mental illness but more effort is needed to make sure that all corners of the country are reached. Effective treatment is pivotal if we are to have a step in the right direction to eliminate mental illness and contribute to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. We need to examine the problems carefully so that we can give the right medication to the people who are suffering from mental illness. Mental illness is a multi headed beast that should be dealt with using multifactorial approaches
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Effective leadership is paramount in the sense that leaders should put their act together and make it one of the major policy issues in this country so that people from all walks of life can be well informed about the dangers of mental illness. They should educate people about government programmes in place to eradicate poverty and also help medical practitioners reach the remotest areas in this country. This would be more useful than just using the masses as conduits for political gain. Many people get mentally ill because of poverty they suffered for a long period. The frustrations cause too much stress and anxiety in their bodies something that creates permanent negative attitudes, negative thinking. All these affect the mind and hence mental illness. So practical poverty eradication programmes can prevent mental illness as the saying goes “prevention is better than cure”
Effective leadership can help to eradicate alcohol and drug abuse, which are among fundamental causes of mental illness. In 2005, the World Health Organisation ranked Uganda as the leading consumer of alcohol in the world. Per capita consumption is 19.5 litres. According to reports, the executive director of Butabika National Psychiatric Referral Hospital said that the majority of patients who go for treatment at various mental health units in the country are alcohol and substance abusers.
Increased leaders involvement means increased public awareness. Many people in Uganda need to know the problem and the dangers associated. Involving all leaders and stakeholders means that everyone is reached and educated about the dangers of mental illness. This means that it will take centre stage in matters of advocacy and policy formulation.
Leaders should take conflict avoidance and resolution very seriously. By doing so we are reducing on posttraumatic stress disorder that happens to people who have been directly affected by conflict like those in Northern Uganda. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened.
The writer is a leadership practitioner.