Butabika Mental Psychiatric Hospital has expressed concern about the increase in the number of people living with mental illness.
According to Dr. Juliet Nakku, the Executive Director at Butabika Mental Hospital, the most affected patients are now children and youth below the age of 17 years.
Dr. Nakku said the hospital, designed for 550 beds, is currently operating at double capacity, with a disproportionate number of young people seeking treatment.
“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, our patient admissions were below 900. However, we’ve witnessed a rapid surge in admissions since the pandemic. The numbers initially increased to 1,000 and have now surpassed 10,300 patients admitted,” she stated.
According to Dr. Nakku, the majority of patients being treated for mental illness at the hospital are young people, with many cases attributed to drug addiction. “Children under 18 are increasingly struggling with mental health issues, driven by anxiety, depression, and excessive alcohol use, ultimately leading to hospitalization,” she noted.
She urged the government to intensify public awareness campaigns about the dangers of substance abuse among young people.
Dr Nakku was speaking on Friday during the 5th annual Butabika Christmas Festival, where Soul Foundation Uganda, a non-governmental organization advocating for mental health awareness, provided a festive meal for patients and staff.
Archbishop Kaziimba Advocates for Independent Election of EC chairperson, Chief Justice
Geraldine Ssali, the Executive Director of Soul Foundation, explained that the celebration aims at showing love, support, and care to the patients at Butabika Hospital.
Ssali noted that many patients come from distant areas and often do not receive visitors during festive seasons, making the event even more meaningful.
She explains that the organization’s goal goes beyond providing emotional support to patients, but also striving to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness but also that of Butabika Hospital, which is often misunderstood and feared by the community.
According to Butabika Hospital records, the primary causes of mental illness among adolescents and adults are substance abuse such as drugs, alcohol and depression. Other contributing factors include epilepsy, HIV, and other infectious diseases that affect the brain.
Additional risk factors identified include head trauma, advanced age, and socioeconomic challenges such as poverty, war, natural disasters, and pandemics.