…says Dr James Okello, a psychiatrist at Gulu University’s faculty of medicine, who also told the Institute for War and Peace Reporting:
The formal health sector alone is not sufficient to meet [their] needs… Mental disorders, for example, developmental disabilities, are risk factors for [poor] learning, underachievement, and school drop-out. Vulnerable children [orphans, former child soldiers and street children] have increased rates of mental illness and educational failure.
Also, according to this article:
Experts say that nearly all youngsters who have experienced catastrophic situations display symptoms of psychological distress, including flashbacks, nightmares, withdrawal, and inability to concentrate. While some children bounce back quickly from traumatic experiences, others need treatment.
Ugandan minister of state for health Emmanuel Otala said that mental health services need to be extended to rural areas as well as in the cities, noting that greater accessibility of services is important to ensure proper treatment of the children.
Filed under: Educational, Treatment Centers, Uganda , children, health, news, psychiatry, Uganda, War
