Uganda: Stigma Keeps Ugandans With Mental Illness From Care

What the report says

Ugandan mental health specialists are warning that repeated links between mental illness and violent crime are deepening stigma and keeping many people from seeking care. In a September 2 analysis from The Independent in Kampala, clinicians said the public often assumes that a person who commits a crime must have a mental disorder, even though most people with mental health conditions are not violent and most crimes are not committed by people with diagnosable illness.

The discussion took place during an X Space hosted by Haven Mental Health Foundation with the Ministry of Health, the Uganda Association of Psychiatrists and the Clinical Psychologist Association Uganda. Speakers, including clinical psychologist and epidemiologist Dr Richard Mpango and consultant psychiatrist Dr Julius Muron, argued that serious mental illness explains only a small share of criminal cases and that substance use appears to be a more common factor in many offences. They also noted that people with severe mental illness are often more likely to face neglect, abuse and social exclusion than to commit violent acts.

The report also set out how Uganda’s legal system approaches mental health in criminal cases, including questions of fitness to stand trial and insanity, while emphasizing that a diagnosis alone is not a legal defense. Beyond the courts, the article said stigma is a major barrier to treatment, with experts estimating that fewer than one in 10 Ugandans who need mental health services receive them.

The World Health Organisation estimates that more than one billion people globally live with a mental health condition, providing broader context for why specialists say access to care and public understanding matter well beyond Uganda.