Mental health deserves betterР psychiatrist

Maranyane Ngwanaamotho | Friday January 10, 2014 17:41

Thula pointed that in most cases patients with mental disorders were encouraged to talk to someone or go to a counsellor rather than receiving proper medical care.  Usually people with mental disorders do not access proper medical attention until a point where they would be declared mentally disturbed by medical practitioners, he said.

Thula was concerned that the system is such that unless general practitioners refer someone to the psychiatric hospital, the patient cannot consult a psychiatrist. He says that in most cases general practitioners do not have enough expertise to deal with issues of mental wellness, which gives the condition a chance to develop into a severe illness.

If proper treatment could be administered earlier many mental illness cases could be avoided, he argues.   The situation is still hostile among local communities where strong stereotypes do not allow one to mention having a mental problem. It is common practice that people with mental disorders or challenges are locked up in houses or tied up at the back of the compound to protect the family’s image.

Thula argues that the government’s failure to give mental health priority exacerbates negative attitudes from families who view it as an ‘embarrassment’. “It has not been given priority like other illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and HIV/AIDS, yet stress disorders have been considered one of the major causes of death globally,” he said.  

Thula says that currently Sbrana is the only mental health facility in the country and accommodates patients from all over the country, which puts a lot of stress on staff.  This also affects patients who are referred to this hospital. Families and friends also suffer since they have to travel long distances to support one of them. 

“There are only three psychiatrists at Sbrana.  I am one of them and I am also involved in the administration spending most of my time in the office, leaving the other two overloaded with work,” he said.  The hospital has a bedding capacity of 300 which is not adequate as other patients have to sleep on the floor, he said.Thula complained that there is lack of specialist care locally, which forced patients to remain in admission care longer. 

“This is now worse with the closure of Jubilee Psychiatric Clinic (Francistown) since patients have to travel from Kasane to be admitted at Sbrana,” Thula said.