Colonial powers tried to stifle it and failed and today it’s a powerful force ANALYSIS | MAJA JAKARASI | In Zimbabwe’s Shona language, mental illness is known as chirwere chepfungwa or kupenga. Before British colonial settlers arrived in 1890, traditional healers (n’anga) played an important role in helping people to manage …
Read More »Fighting off mental aging
Can reading and similar activities help? Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | Millions of people around the world live with dementia, a chronic neurodegenerative condition that affects memory and thinking abilities. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. While some treatments do exist to help manage the symptoms of dementia, …
Read More »Police to establish mental wellness centres for officers to handle anger issues
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | To reduce gun violence by some police officers, the law enforcement agency plans to establish a new department to handle anger management and treat police officers with mental illnesses. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, hinted at this this week …
Read More »Mental health support
Why it should be integrated into education Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | The pursuit of education often comes with immense pressure and stress, which can significantly impact students’ mental well-being. Transitioning from crucial academic milestones often overwhelms students, leading to heightened anxiety and other mental health challenges. Recognising the significance of …
Read More »ATMIS kicks off mental health training for troops in Somalia
Mogadishu, Sudan | Xinhua | The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said Sunday it has kicked off a five-day training to equip its personnel with skills and knowledge to respond to their mental health and psychological needs while serving with the mission. The training on mental health and psychosocial …
Read More »Psychiatric health officers urged on own Mental Health
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Mental health workers have been urged to periodically do a mental health assessment for wellness as they go about their work. State Minister for Higher Education John Chrysostom Muyingo says that owing to the high and growing threat of mental illness, the ministry has started …
Read More »Rwanda reports increase in mental health disorders among patients
Kigali, Rwanda | Xinhua | Cases of mental health disorders have increased in Rwanda since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Health said Monday. At least 7,817 patients consulted for depression at Ndera Neuro-Psychiatric Teaching Hospital from January to August, higher than 1,743 that were recorded last year, …
Read More »How to end mental health stigma
Mental health: Leaders must consider four critical priorities COMMENT | Bernard J. Tyson | Project Syndicate | The world faces an epidemic of mental health problems that cuts across borders, economies, and cultures and carries a stigma that leaves people suffering in silence. Tackling the problem requires political, business, and …
Read More »S.Africa to compensate families of mentally-ill patients
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The South African government will compensate the families of more than 100 mentally-ill patients who died from neglect after they were moved from hospital and placed into unlicenced health facilities. At least 144 psychiatric patients died from hunger and lack of care within months …
Read More »Sugar not so sweet for mental health
Paris, France | AFP | Sugar may be bad not only for your teeth and your waistline, but also your mental health, claimed a study Thursday that was met with scepticism by other experts. Researchers at University College London (UCL) compared the reported sugar intake of more than 8,000 people in …
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