Trend Analysis And Therapeutic Management Of Mental Disorders In Central And Eastern Uganda Between 1970-2005

ABSTRACT

The consequence of political and bloody civil strives in Uganda exposed people to health damaging psychological.

physical. chemical. biological and mechanical stressors. with estimated 35% Ugandan suffering

from some form or mental disorders. There is dearth of in formation on the impact on the trend evolution and

pattern or mental disorders in the two regi ons.

This study aims to determine the epidemiology of mental disorders and their patterns of presentation in

Eastern and Central Uganda with a view to assess the impact of the civil wars on the incidence of these

disorders. It also aims in addition to evaluate the therapeutic management of these disorders in the selected

regions.

A retrospective assessment of case files of inpatients and outpatient records was carried our between the

period of 1970 and 2005 in the four selected referral hospitals in the two selected regions of East and Central

Uganda. Structured questionnaires were be used to collect complementary information and data from the

mental health workers at the facility. A trend analysis was conducted on the data col lected using statistical

programme(SPSS)

A total of698 patients were enrolled in the study (314 from central and 384 from Eastern region). All patients

enroll ed \ere between age 1-86. Patient with mental disorder in Eastern were significantly young than those

from Central.( P-0.007)

Before the civi l wars ( 1970-1979) the ce ntral region had twice the number or mental disorders compared to

the eastern region which reversed over the period of war and post even.

Monotherapy was mostly used in the eastern region whi·le combination therapy was mainly used in the central

region. Chlorpromazine (CPZ) and haloperidol (HA) were the mostly used drug in combinations. Artene was

mostly given with CPZ and HA.

From this study, eastern region had more people suffering from the mental di so rders compared to the central

region and vere mostly young (25-39.9). Generally in the two regions the males had the highest number of

mental disorders compared to the females. Central region had the highest number of mental disorder cases

before and during the war while eastern region had the highest number of mental disorder cases immediately alter Vr and the beginning of the millennium.