Mental illnesses on the increase in Zimbabwe

Concern has been raised over the increase in mental illness cases in the country, amid calls for the government to put interventions for care and support for the patients.

Founder and president of the Zimbabwe National Practitioners Association, Friday Chisanyu, said it is unfortunate that the affected receive little attention in terms of care and support.

He said besides alcohol and illicit drug abuse, cultural and traditional issues have become the major contributing factors to the situation.

Mr Chisanyu urged people to seek assistance from traditional healers especially in cases where medical doctors cannot assist due to the nature of the illness.

More than 450 million people globally suffer from mental illnesses of neurological disorders such as those related to alcohol and drug abuse, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) mental health atlas.