MENTAL ILLNESSES ON INCREASE IN RWENZORI REGION, NARCOTIC, ALCOHOL BLAMED  

By Syliva Kugonza

www.mknewslink.com

In Fort portal

Fort Portal regional Hospital mental clinic is overwhelmed by the spiraling number of mental patients flocking the facility.

The facility serves eight districts of Kabarole the host, Kyenjojo,Kyegegwa, Bunyangabu, Ntoroko, Kamwenge,Bundibugyo and Fort Portal municipality.

According to Dr. Martin Ibanda the Principal Psychiatric Fort Portal regional hospital mental Clinic, the facility is flooded with the high number of mental patients.

He explained that the mental clinic has the capacity to admit 45 patients but on daily basis they receive 80 patients with mental related cases and have nowhere to accommodate them.

Dr. Ibanda attributed the high prevalence of mental illnesses to excessive consumption of alcohol and narcotic drugs like opium which constitute 13 percent of patients complaining of mental disorders.

Dr. Ibanda mentioned some of the common mental disorders as epilepsy, depression and HIV/AIDS related mental disorder constituting 24% of the patients.

The doctor however revealed that some mental illnesses are a result of environmental factors while others are natural factors.

Dr.Ibanda   asked the leaders and Civil Society Organizations to intervene, save the youth from dying and embark on serious awareness on the dangers of consuming alcohol and narcotic drugs.

He  also asked the members of parliament to task government to speed up the law on narcotic drugs so as to save the young generation that are involved in daily drug consumption.

Speaking on his sick bed, one of the victims whose identity could not be disclosed confessed that he was convinced into drug consumption by his peers in a bid to avoid stress and other problems but ended up being addicted.

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