Addressing the Issue of Mental Health in Makerere University

 

The above is a quote from a close friend of Nsubuga Ashiraf a final year student pursuing Bachelors of Medical Radiography at Makerere University, he was found hanging on a rope by his roommate.

Today, we focus on providing you information on how one can overcome depression at campus.

When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you probably do is give thanks to your God for passing through the night while you are still alive, after that you consequently take a shower next. Both of these actions assure that you are spiritually upright and also result into good personal hygiene.

However, quite often we have forgotten that our mind also needs to be in great shape to enable us function normally, without awareness on how to ensure this, people often end up on the extremes for example the student mentioned in the quote above.

The survey

On the 8th of October 2019, we conducted a survey to analyse the level of awareness about mental health at Makerere university, armed with smartphones, a group of 10 students combed several sample colleges namely Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Business and Management Sciences (COBAMS) and computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS), to collect student responses about Mental health. The results are disheartening.

 

Watch a Proffessional Explanation of what Mental health is?

Signs and symptoms of poor mental health

According to experts, Signs and symptoms of mental illness can vary, depending on the condition, circumstances and other factors. Mental illness symptoms can affect emotions, thoughts and behaviours.

Examples of signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling sad or down
• Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
• Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt
• Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
• Withdrawal from friends and activities
• Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping
• Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations
• Inability to cope with daily problems or stress
• Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people
• Problems with alcohol or drug use
• Major changes in eating habits
• Excessive anger, hostility or violence
• Suicidal thinking

How can one ensure that they stay in the best Mental health.