Early Reaction can avert mental illness
Jul 21, 2010
In September last year, a 38-year-old man walked into a pub in Rukungiri town and ordered for beer for everyone who cared to drink.
BY FLORENCE NAKAAYI
In September last year, a 38-year-old man walked into a pub in Rukungiri town and ordered for beer for everyone who cared to drink. The bartenders served beer on his orders until the bill, shot up to sh70,000. When presented with the bill, the man said he could not pay because he was the son of the soil. The truth, however, was he did not have even a coin.
Irritated, the bar owner bound up the man and dragged him to Rukungiri Police Station. Neither the complainant nor the Police sensed that Asiimwe had a mental problem. While in custody, he is said to have been repeatedly punished on accusation of being stubborn.
For hours, the man’s wife pleaded in vain that he had relapsed to a mental illness and was undergoing psychiatric treatment. However, the Police recorded his statement despite his uncoordinated narration of events.
The man was saved by the unexpected arrival of the Rukungiri Resident District Commissioner, Dan Kaguta. “I found when the police was getting a statement from a man, who was giving uncoordinated stories. I told them to release him immediately and refer him for medical attention,†Kaguta says.
Like this man, many persons go behind bars or are killed by mob for crimes they commit in a different state of mind.
Only a month earlier, a mentally ill man was killed in the same district. William Turyatunga, 26, of Rubirizi village, Ibanda Parish, Nyanishaje sub-county, moved out of his house at night. One of the symptoms of his illness was a false alarm in his brain, which made him hear non-existent sounds that someone was trying to kill him. This prompted him to run out of the house seeking safety.
Unfortunately, he was killed by the mob who thought he was a thief. Turyatunga is said to have pleaded that he was not a thief but had lost his way.
According to mental health experts, these are among the main ways through which people with mental illnesses are abused in families and society. The executive director of Mental Health Uganda, Julius Lutakome Kayiira, cites other abuses such as tying them on ropes, locking them up in rooms and sacking them from jobs.
Reports from Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital indicate an increase from year to year. The records reveal that the number of mental health cases treated at the hospital rose from 4,274 in 2005/2006 to 5,604 in 2007.
The health ministry estimates indicate that one third of patients countrywide have some form of mental illness as well. Furthermore, the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2006 report shows that 7% of the households in the country have a person with a disability. Of these, more than half have at least one person with a mental disorder.
Whereas persons with disabilities are often viewed as dangerous to public safely, they are in most cases the victims of all sorts of human rights violations. The primary violation of their rights is failure to take them for treatment. The abuse is often fuelled by ignorance. Many people think mental illness is a curse and do not know that it can be treated in hospital.
Dr. Peter Sserubombwe, a psychiatric, says after finding the mentally ill uncontrollable, some people give up on them.
He adds: “Others believe they are often attacked by ancestral spirits or ghosts that command them while majority are ignorant that mental illnesses can be treated.â€
A 25-year-old on medication for mental illness said most relatives do not want to live with her, yet she needs family support to recover. “Even when I visit them, they tell me to return back to my home. They fear me. The neighbours, too, are now fed up of me because I destroy their property whenever I relapse.â€
Much as the public has to respect the rights of persons with mental illnesses, it is equally important that the public is protected against damage. Often, families are forced to compensate property destroyed by their patients.
Kayiira says compensating the victims may not solve the problem. “It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that a person with a mental problem gets proper treatment as earlier as possible.
Once on treatment, he or she may not commit any crime, hence stops being a threat to the public,†he stresses.
The UN Convention on the rights of Persons with disabilities emphasizes their treatment at home. Kayiira says strengthening community mental health involves the patient, his or her family and community. It also helps to avoid mistreatment.
He appeals to the Government for more accessible mental health hospitals and services Many people fail to get treatment due to long distances, while others stop taking drugs, following side effects that make them very weak.
Those with mental illnesses explain that they are not outcasts. “Mental illness is not a crime. It can happen to anyone at any time. We deserve care and respect like any other person†Robinah Alambuya, psychosocial officer appeals.
Alambuya urges the Government to ensure that the public is sensitized about mental illness. She advises that the mentally ill need family support to curb extreme effects, which may arise if the patients are not well-handled.
EARLY SIGN S OF MENTAL ILLNESS
It is important to get help as soon as possible when experiencing early signs of mental illness. This will slow the progression of the illness and may lead to a faster recovery.
FEELING “SOMETHING’ IS NOT QUIET RIGHTâ€
• Feeling like your brain is just not working right
• Not able to do school work or one’s usual job
• Uncharacteristic behaviour
• Heightened sensitivity to sights, sounds, smells or touch
• Belief that you have special powers
BEING FEARFUL FOR NO GOOD REASON
• Worrying that others are thinking bad thoughts about you
• Thinking others wish to harm you in some way
• Watching others with suspicion
• Fearful, uneasy feeling around people
• Paranoia or unwarranted suspiciousness of others
• Extreme fright in situations that do not warrant it
• Extreme and unreasonable resentments or grudges
JUMBLED THOUGHTS AND CONFUSION
• Trouble with focus and attention
• Losing abilities in athletics or hobbies
• Difficulty reading, understanding long sentences
• Forgetting and getting lost
• Not understanding what people are saying
• Trouble thinking clearly
• Losing track of conversations
• Jumbled speech or writing
HEARING SOUNDS/SEEING THINGS THAT ARE NOT THERE
• Feeling like your brain is playing tricks on you
• Any continuing sights or sounds that others can’t see or hear
• Feeling like someone is putting thoughts in your brain
DECLINING INTEREST IN PEOPLE ACTIVITIES AND SELF-CARE
• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Loss of motivation or energy
• Dramatic changes in sleeping or eating habits
• Lack of interest in things you used to enjoy
• Just not caring about your appearance
EXTREME/UNSAFE CHANGES IN BEHAVIOUR
• Dramatic changes in your sleep or appetite
• Suicidal thoughts
• Thoughts of harming someone else
Psychosis include Schizophrenia, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorders
Source:http://www.preventmentalillness.org
In September last year, a 38-year-old man walked into a pub in Rukungiri town and ordered for beer for everyone who cared to drink. The bartenders served beer on his orders until the bill, shot up to sh70,000. When presented with the bill, the man said he could not pay because he was the son of the soil. The truth, however, was he did not have even a coin.
Irritated, the bar owner bound up the man and dragged him to Rukungiri Police Station. Neither the complainant nor the Police sensed that Asiimwe had a mental problem. While in custody, he is said to have been repeatedly punished on accusation of being stubborn.
For hours, the man’s wife pleaded in vain that he had relapsed to a mental illness and was undergoing psychiatric treatment. However, the Police recorded his statement despite his uncoordinated narration of events.
The man was saved by the unexpected arrival of the Rukungiri Resident District Commissioner, Dan Kaguta. “I found when the police was getting a statement from a man, who was giving uncoordinated stories. I told them to release him immediately and refer him for medical attention,†Kaguta says.
Like this man, many persons go behind bars or are killed by mob for crimes they commit in a different state of mind.
Only a month earlier, a mentally ill man was killed in the same district. William Turyatunga, 26, of Rubirizi village, Ibanda Parish, Nyanishaje sub-county, moved out of his house at night. One of the symptoms of his illness was a false alarm in his brain, which made him hear non-existent sounds that someone was trying to kill him. This prompted him to run out of the house seeking safety.
Unfortunately, he was killed by the mob who thought he was a thief. Turyatunga is said to have pleaded that he was not a thief but had lost his way.
According to mental health experts, these are among the main ways through which people with mental illnesses are abused in families and society. The executive director of Mental Health Uganda, Julius Lutakome Kayiira, cites other abuses such as tying them on ropes, locking them up in rooms and sacking them from jobs.
Reports from Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital indicate an increase from year to year. The records reveal that the number of mental health cases treated at the hospital rose from 4,274 in 2005/2006 to 5,604 in 2007.
The health ministry estimates indicate that one third of patients countrywide have some form of mental illness as well. Furthermore, the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2006 report shows that 7% of the households in the country have a person with a disability. Of these, more than half have at least one person with a mental disorder.
Whereas persons with disabilities are often viewed as dangerous to public safely, they are in most cases the victims of all sorts of human rights violations. The primary violation of their rights is failure to take them for treatment. The abuse is often fuelled by ignorance. Many people think mental illness is a curse and do not know that it can be treated in hospital.
Dr. Peter Sserubombwe, a psychiatric, says after finding the mentally ill uncontrollable, some people give up on them.
He adds: “Others believe they are often attacked by ancestral spirits or ghosts that command them while majority are ignorant that mental illnesses can be treated.â€
A 25-year-old on medication for mental illness said most relatives do not want to live with her, yet she needs family support to recover. “Even when I visit them, they tell me to return back to my home. They fear me. The neighbours, too, are now fed up of me because I destroy their property whenever I relapse.â€
Much as the public has to respect the rights of persons with mental illnesses, it is equally important that the public is protected against damage. Often, families are forced to compensate property destroyed by their patients.
Kayiira says compensating the victims may not solve the problem. “It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that a person with a mental problem gets proper treatment as earlier as possible.
Once on treatment, he or she may not commit any crime, hence stops being a threat to the public,†he stresses.
The UN Convention on the rights of Persons with disabilities emphasizes their treatment at home. Kayiira says strengthening community mental health involves the patient, his or her family and community. It also helps to avoid mistreatment.
He appeals to the Government for more accessible mental health hospitals and services Many people fail to get treatment due to long distances, while others stop taking drugs, following side effects that make them very weak.
Those with mental illnesses explain that they are not outcasts. “Mental illness is not a crime. It can happen to anyone at any time. We deserve care and respect like any other person†Robinah Alambuya, psychosocial officer appeals.
Alambuya urges the Government to ensure that the public is sensitized about mental illness. She advises that the mentally ill need family support to curb extreme effects, which may arise if the patients are not well-handled.
EARLY SIGN S OF MENTAL ILLNESS
It is important to get help as soon as possible when experiencing early signs of mental illness. This will slow the progression of the illness and may lead to a faster recovery.
FEELING “SOMETHING’ IS NOT QUIET RIGHTâ€
• Feeling like your brain is just not working right
• Not able to do school work or one’s usual job
• Uncharacteristic behaviour
• Heightened sensitivity to sights, sounds, smells or touch
• Belief that you have special powers
BEING FEARFUL FOR NO GOOD REASON
• Worrying that others are thinking bad thoughts about you
• Thinking others wish to harm you in some way
• Watching others with suspicion
• Fearful, uneasy feeling around people
• Paranoia or unwarranted suspiciousness of others
• Extreme fright in situations that do not warrant it
• Extreme and unreasonable resentments or grudges
JUMBLED THOUGHTS AND CONFUSION
• Trouble with focus and attention
• Losing abilities in athletics or hobbies
• Difficulty reading, understanding long sentences
• Forgetting and getting lost
• Not understanding what people are saying
• Trouble thinking clearly
• Losing track of conversations
• Jumbled speech or writing
HEARING SOUNDS/SEEING THINGS THAT ARE NOT THERE
• Feeling like your brain is playing tricks on you
• Any continuing sights or sounds that others can’t see or hear
• Feeling like someone is putting thoughts in your brain
DECLINING INTEREST IN PEOPLE ACTIVITIES AND SELF-CARE
• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Loss of motivation or energy
• Dramatic changes in sleeping or eating habits
• Lack of interest in things you used to enjoy
• Just not caring about your appearance
EXTREME/UNSAFE CHANGES IN BEHAVIOUR
• Dramatic changes in your sleep or appetite
• Suicidal thoughts
• Thoughts of harming someone else
Psychosis include Schizophrenia, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorders
Source:http://www.preventmentalillness.org