Why mental illnesses are rising in West Nile refugee settlements

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With the raising cost of living, pressures of modern life, and substance abuse, mental illnesses have risen in West Nile region-based refugee settlements, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has said.

According to the OPM, the illnesses are majorly driven by the challenges the refugees in the settlements are finding after the reduction in food rations that aid agencies were giving out. The illness is also blamed on an insufficient support system for the refugees.

OPM refugee desk officer in Arua district Solomon Osakan says due to donor fatigue and the economic downturn the world is experiencing, aid agencies have cut down their budgets and activities in the settlements to meet the demands of the refugees.

The aid agencies have also refocused their response from humanitarian/emergency to development response thus making many organisations either close activities in the settlements or cut down their activities.

West Nile is home to three refugee settlements: Bidibidi, which hosts about 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers mainly from the neigbouring South Sudan; Rhino Camp and Imvepi.

According to Osakan, all three refugee settlements have registered over 80 cases of refugees taking their own lives in the past one year.

Many of these cases are a result of household members disagreeing among themselves after failing to fend for their families.

The desk officer has, therefore, urged refugees in the various settlements in the region to embrace vocational and other survival skills to cope with the reduction in food rations in the settlements.

Osakan said aside from the refugees devising other coping mechanisms due to the reduction in food rations, they should sparingly use the food they receive from the WFP, and also acquire some land from the host communities to grow crops to supplement the food ration they receive from WFP and other partner organisations.

Food prioritisation initiatives

The World Food Program (WFP) recently introduced a new food prioritisation policy in the settlements whereby food is distributed based on the vulnerabilities of the refugees.

WFP, UNHCR, and OPM rolled out the food prioritisation policy in July 2023 in all 13 settlements across the country.

Under this policy, the least vulnerable households, which have attained self-reliance, are shifted off general food assistance.

The most vulnerable households receive the highest ratio feasible, while the moderately vulnerable receive assistance while working in close collaboration with co-operating partners to link them to livelihood activities with a view to enhancing their self-reliance.
Other causes of mental illness

The OPM officer also attributes the rising cases of mental illnesses in the settlements to drug abuse, especially by young people who do not want to engage in productive ventures.

Solomon Osakan said although food rations have significantly reduced, other services such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure have improved tremendously with support of partner organisations.

He notes that the Danish Refugee council (DRC) and like-minded partners are professional in providing community services in the settlements.

Earlier report on mental illnesses in Uganda

According to a Uganda Counselling Association and the Ministry of Health report dated 2019, 14 million Ugandans were mentally sick. 

The statistic then meant that every 35 out of 100 Ugandans you meet in your day-to-day activities may be battling a mental health problem.

Whereas these were recorded in 2019, it is likely that the figures could have since tremendously risen given several factors.

What are mental disorders?

According to the World Health Organisation, mental disorders vary and present differently. They are generally characterised by a combination of abnormal thoughts, perceptions, emotions, behaviour, and relationships with others.

Mental disorders include depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other psychoses, dementia, and developmental disorders including autism.

Whereas some of the mental disorders require treatment offered by professional practitioners, Dr Hafsa Lukwata, the acting commissioner in charge of mental health and substance abuse at the health ministry, said in an earlier interview that the bulk of the population has resorted to seeking help from religious leaders and witchdoctors, which instead worsens their problem.

“We are seeing people seeking support from non-professionals. These are mostly referred by friends. Yet each mental disorder has different forms of treatment. If you go to the wrong place for care, you are delaying the care you need to get but also making your situation worse,” she said, adding that some of the information shared in these spaces may damage the person more.