20 Oct 2026

Okavango District continues to register high numbers of mental health cases, Gumare Primary Hospital chief registered nurse Mr Boikaego Kgaodi has said.

Speaking in an interview during a mental health awareness day held in Gumare last week, Mr Kgaodi who is also psychiatric nurse, observed that 396 mental health cases were recorded from January to September this year, with those of schizophrenia being the highest and with males being the most affected.

The other prevalent conditions after schizophrenia were depression and bipolar affective disorders, he said.

He revealed that seven referrals for specialised care and management were made to Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital in Maun and Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital in Lobatse during the same period.

 According to him, the use of illegal drugs such as Methcathinone especially by the youth, as well as gender-based violence (GBV) were among the top contributing factors to mental health illnesses in the district.

He also observed that one of the many challenges faced by health workers with regard to mental health cases was lack of facilities for patients in Okavango District, hence patients were referred to Maun and Lobatse which negatively affected management of their conditions.

Meanwhile, for most patients and survivors of mental health illnesses, stigma attached to mental health conditions negated efforts aimed at managing the conditions since it drove many patients to relapse as it led to self-stigmatisation and failure to adhere to treatment.

One survivor, Ms Kebuang Seloka observed that some patients experienced stigmatisation at family level which made it challenging for them to win the battle as many ended up failing to adhere to treatment out of fear of being labelled negatively.

Ms Seloka therefore said it was imperative to have interventions aimed at sensitisation and empowerment of family members regarding mental health illness to ensure support to patients instead of judging them. One caretaker said looking after a mental health patient, especially a child, was emotionally draining and that as a result there was need for supportive structures to be put in place for caretakers.

Citing an example, she said her child who was recovering from the use of illicit drugs at times turned violent, posing a danger to them as family, to the community and even to himself.

She said the current regulation required that the family engaged the District Commissioner’s office before the police could assist in the event of such altercations. 

She said the process to get police intervention was lengthy and resulted in more lives being exposed to risk.

Stakeholders who shared views during a panel discussion which was part of the activities of the day underscored the need for a mental health facility in the district, saying currently some patients were being temporarily held at Gumare Police station holding cells. This, they said, was inhumane since the patients were not criminals and deserved to be placed in dignified facilities. ends