Prevalence of severe mental distress and its correlates in a population-based study in rural south-west Uganda Eugene Kinyanda1*, Laban Waswa1, Kathy Baisley2 and Dermot Maher1,2 Abstract Background: The problem of severe mental distress (SMD) in sub-Saharan Africa is difficult to investigate given that a substantial proportion of patients with SMD never access formal health care. This study set out to investigate SMD and it’s associated factors in a rural population-based cohort in south-west Uganda. Methods: 6,663 respondents aged 13 years and above in a general population cohort in southwestern Uganda were screened for probable SMD and possible associated factors | Kinyanda et al. BMC Psychiatry 2011 11 97 http 1471-244X 11 97 BMC Psychiatry RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Prevalence of severe mental distress and its correlates in a population-based study in rural south-west Uganda 1 1 2 Eugene Kinyanda Laban Waswa Kathy Baisley and Dermot Maher1 Abstract Background The problem of severe mental distress SMD in sub-Saharan Africa is difficult to investigate given that a substantial proportion of patients with SMD never access formal health care. This study set out to investigate SMD and it s associated factors in a rural population-based cohort in south-west Uganda. Methods 6 663 respondents aged 13 years and above in a general population cohort in southwestern Uganda were screened for probable SMD and possible associated factors. Results screened positive for probable SMD. The factors significantly associated with SMD included older age male sex low socio-economic status being a current smoker having multiple or no sexual partners in the past year reported epilepsy and consulting a traditional healer. Conclusion SMD in this study was associated with both socio-demographic and behavioural factors. The association between SMD and high risk sexual behaviour calls for the integration of HIV prevention in mental health care programmes in high HIV prevalence settings. Background Governments in sub-Saharan Africa including those in Uganda Liberia and Southern Sudan are slowly realizing that mental illness makes a significant contribution to the overall health burden which is projected to rise. Governments have therefore started to include mental health in the minimum health care package to be delivered through an integrated approach in the existing primary health care system 1-3 . Mental illness encompasses a broad range of conditions of varying degrees of severity. Severe mental distress SMD for purposes of this paper refers to all mental and neurological problems that are associated with severe .
