KABALE– Kabale District Health Department has revealed that they have recorded at least 1, 622 mental illness cases across the district since January this year.
The Kabale District Health Officer, Dr. Gilbert Arinaitwe Mateeka said that the 1, 622 cases are part of the 75,634 patients, who visited different health facilities in the Kabale District.
Dr Mateeka said that in 2022, the district registered 7,841 mental illness cases, out of the 417,786 patients who visited different health facilities in Kabale District.
He said depression, stress, alcohol and substance use, and anxiety disorders due to gender-based violence among others lead to the increased cases of mental health disorders in the district.
The Kabale District Health Educator, Alfred Besigensi, said they are carrying out sensitization and counseling in communities, as well as health workers are looking out for patients with mental illness to provide external support rather than abandoning them.
Besigensi warned the public against illicit drugs and alcohol abuse saying that this will help to reduce mental illness cases.
