The link between mental health and current socio-economic issues

Jul 21, 2016

In northern Uganda, which suffered from brutal armed insurgencies and mass displacement for decades, the question of deep-seated dependency syndrome remains a challenge.

By Okot Benard Kasozi

Mental health is globally recognised as one of the leading causes of disability. However, a significant number of professional and non-professional stakeholders have trouble drawing connections between the implications of poor mental health to some of the current socio-economic and conflict issues in Uganda.

This undermines citizens' active participation in national development and harmonious co-existence.

In northern Uganda, which suffered from brutal armed insurgencies and mass displacement for decades, the question of deep-seated dependency syndrome remains a challenge.

Dependency syndrome infiltrated former internally displaced persons (IDPs) and remains a challenge that many political and professional stakeholders wrongly attribute to laziness, yet the root cause of the problem appears to stem from the unaddressed psychosocial needs of war trauma survivors.

The government spearheaded transition from peace to recovery and development but has not fully addressed some of the lingering issues, particularly the dependency IDPs carried with them to their respective villages.

This is due to challenges adapting from the past situation where humanitarian agencies provided free emergency support to IDPs including food, clothing, medicine, water and other amenities. As a result, people lost creativity for active participation to improve their living standards and welfare.      

A large number of returnees still beg and yearn for free support from stakeholders forgetting about the entrepreneurial space and fertile land owned individually and communally.

Outcry from service providers to challenge the dependency has been marred by narrow interventions.

For instance, service providers have been equipping people with livelihood skills, revolving funds, and micro credit schemes without attempts to deconstruct the poisoned mindsets and consequently numerous failures registered. Government intervention such as the Peace Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda focuses more on hardware interventions.

To me, these approaches seem to be attempts to address underlying causes of dependency syndrome, yet the bigger problem is mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of the returnees.

Since 2007, I have engaged with IDPs and returnees with the Refugee Law Project's Beyond Juba Project.

The issue of depression and anhedonia particularly have been common ailments that many trauma survivors are grappling with.

This is due to unaddressed individual and collective war experiences, poor social support systems, lack of trauma-focused interventions, environmental triggers, and the challenge of addressing livelihood issues and conflict drivers.

Consequently, depression results in victims/survivors: isolating themselves from people and support programs; losing interest in daily activities; lacking energy to participate in livelihood and income generating activities; behaving recklessly; and developing hopelessness.

Common symptoms of anhedonia normally manifest by affecting the ability of the sufferer to experience pleasure from activities they previously found enjoyable. Therefore, it is unjust to brand a person suffering from these mental health symptoms lazy.

The condition goes beyond physical symptoms on the body. Depression shatters social networks and support systems, kills motivation to be productive; and drags them into a pool of constant sadness and negative thoughts.

If these psychosocial conditions are not fully understood and addressed, dependency syndrome will continue and negatively affect all spheres of life and development in Uganda.

There is an urgent need to draw the attention of researchers, programme and policy designers, and stakeholders to revisit the link between mental health, productivity, and citizen participation in national development. Mental health and psychosocial support needs to be mainstreamed as a very specific and cross cutting intervention. Mental health is not only essential for individual well-being, but also essential for enhancing human development including economic growth and poverty reduction.          

The writer is a Senior Psychosocial Research and Advocacy Officer-Refugee Law Project-Gulu

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