THE government has taken various initiatives to ensure access of mental health care at all levels of health facilities in the past five years.
This includes widening the spectrum of master's degree admissions in mental health to increase the number of specialists in the country.
Apart from increasing the number of mental health specialists, psychologists and other staff in the field, the government has also enhanced involvement of other stakeholders in areas of infrastructure, personnel, finance, medicines and equipment to boost the availability of the service to its people.
According to statistics, the country has only 32 psychiatrists, thus increasing the number of students undertaking Psychiatry and Mental Health will help increase the number of specialists in the country.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Prof Mabula Mchembe said yesterday that as Tanzania joined the rest of the world to mark the World Mental Health Day, the government will continue to improve the provision of the services as well as creating public awareness about the illness.
"The awareness campaign will focus mainly on groups which are at greater risk of developing mental illness, including youth who are faced with more challenges of mental health, such as the use of illicit drugs, betting, stigma and suicide," Prof Mchembe said.
He said according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14, and that unfortunately majority of youth with the problem are undetected and untreated.
He said for example depression is the third of all diseases affecting the society while suicide is the second leading cause of deaths facing the society worldwide.
Prof Mchembe further detailed that according to statistics of 2015, youth aged 13- 17 years in primary and secondary schools in 21 regions of Mainland showed presence of depressive symptoms by more than 7 per cent of the youth interviewed, where 14 percent reported suicide ideation and 11 per cent tried to take their own lives.
"The use of alcohol was reported by 5 per cent while 3.1 per cent admitted to have once used marijuana (bhang), and a quarter of them reported to have experienced bullying and being beaten," Prof Mchembe said.
Meanwhile, the government and health experts have urged the public to refrain from stigmatising or discriminating individuals undergoing treatment or showing symptoms of mental health disorders as an attempt to condense the burden on patients and their families.
Public attitude towards people with mental health illness have extensive consequences, ranging from effects on quality of life to a level that hinders the effectiveness of many public health programmes.
Speaking during the World Mental Health Day that was organised at the Nduta refugee camp by Doctors without Borders (MSF) and partners, Petro Jengela, MSF Mental Health Activity Manager said people with mental health illnesses face challenges, ranging from lack of sleep, nightmares, hopelessness and hallucinations.
At the event aimed at creating awareness among the Burundian refugees on the effects of stigma and discrimination, he said "we're meeting here to create awareness within the community of refugees but also fight stigma. We are aware that there are people in the community who are struggling with mental health illness, but because of social factors, they have not been able to access counselling and medical treatment," he said.
Cases of mental health disorder are more severe to women than men, according to MSF statistics, but Jengela says men are also affected but find it difficult to break the silence and seek medical attention. He urged the public to help such people to receive specialised medical help, saying they are also normal human beings.
Public Health Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr Thomas Shauri on his part said the public should refrain from calling names people with mental health illnesses.
The day themed "Mental health for all, greater investment, greater access" emphasized on expanding services to make it more inclusive, especially among women and youth. It adopted drama and songs to communicate key messages, including overcoming stigma and identifying early symptoms of mental illness.
"drinking alcohol or smoking cannot be the only reason for one's mental health problem. Nonetheless, excessive drinking or smoking is not a solution to mental health illness," he said.
He advised international organisations such as MSF to invest in programmes that will help the community to take care of each other.
He was optimistic that stigma threatens employment and results in low self-esteem and discrimination of people with mental health disorders by the rest of the community. According to the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, mental disorders contribute about 5.3 per cent of the country's disease burden.
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