Drug abuse escalates stress on Chainama mental hospital – expert
By Staff Reporter
The number of mental health disorder admissions resulting from drug abuse have risen by 60% at Chinanma Hills hospital due to social economic reasons like lack of employment which have triggered anxiety.
Speaking in an Interview with NewsDayZambia.com today, a senior Chainama Hills College Hospital Psychiatrist who sought anonymity, disclosed that the hospital had therefore decided to specialize in alcohol and drug abuse rehabilitations by opening a special ward to address the specific problem.
The source says most of the patients affected by this problem are between the ages of 18 and 35 years.
And in a bizarre twist, the atmosphere at Chainama Hills hospital appears to be that of intimidation of the members of staff by the Ministry of health officials on creepy suspicions, marred in secrecy befitting the stigma associated with mental health disorder in Zambia.
The source says as much as there are traditional mental health disorders like Schizophrenia and Bipola Disorder, alcohol and drug abuse are taking the main precedence because of the current economic hardships where young people in their prime resort to alcohol abuse.
“Why should somebody begin to drink so early in the morning? It’s because of unemployment and children who have been badly brought up. If you take one and half units of alcohol a day one neuron is reduced from the brain. One unit is equivalent to one pint of beer or a shot of whisky. But now they take tujilijili (spirits in sachets and small bottles) which have no standard alcohol content. So you can calculate how many neurons are lost in these people. So after a period of time, the chemical imbalance begins to take place in the brain,” he says.
The source says it is unfortunate that mental health is marred with stigma emanating from both patients and care-givers, which makes it difficult to manage. Some relatives may not want to be associated with the illness or disorder and the government who may not want the extent of the problem to be exposed to its entirety.
“The funding to the mental health sector has been inadequate over the years. Even when money has been allocated it is diverted to other health areas because of the stigma attached to mental health. We need more advocacy and sensitization in this area. Mental health in this country is dealt with like dirt under the carpet and appears to be very sensitive,” he explains.
And as if to confirm the seriousness of the status quo at Chinama Hills Hospital, the consultant called this reporter later to express fear of being victimized by the authorities if he is quoted in the story.
“Please don’t quote me otherwise I will be summoned by the health permanent secretary and will be made answerable. No…..please! I think I made a mistake to talk to you. I have had a nasty experience with you journalists. Please don’t’ quote me!” exclaimed the source.
According to a 2018 mental health report on Zambia, the country has had five National Development plans with no mention of mental health, save for the sixth one, which only has a casual mention. The health agenda is dominated by infectious diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and diarrheal followed by child health and reproductive health.
The report further says the strategy of mental health is less than coherent and still uses the 1951 Mental Disorder act in which patients are still referred to as idiots, imbeciles and invalids.
