40 percent of Zimbabweans mentally ill

From Zim Online (SA), 24 August

By Prince Nyathi

Harare - About 40 percent of Zimbabweans suffer from mental disorders as a result of current economic hardships and the effects of Operation Murambatsvina, a top medical consultant has said. Dickson Chibanda, a consultant with the World Health Organisation and Ministry of Health, said cases of mental disorders have worsened since the 2005 controversial government slum eviction programme as well as ongoing economic hardships that have seen most Zimbabweans failing to meet daily needs. "In Zimbabwe latest data on common mental disorders indicated prevalence close to 40 percent. Operation Murambatsvina caused a lot of mental disorders to those who were forced out of their homes," he said. The internationally condemned Operation Murambatsvina (Drive Out Filth) displaced over 700 000 families and forced hundreds of children out of school.

According to Chibanda, a survey of Harare's low-income suburbs in 2006 showed a prevalence of 36 percent. A similar survey involving HIV patients utilising the opportunistic infection clinic at Harare Central Hospital yielded 44 percent mental problems incidence rate. He said the percentage of Zimbabweans suffering from mental health problems could be higher now due to the deteriorating economic climate in the country, which has seen inflation topping 7 634 percent last July, the highest in the world.