Children Mental Health and Development Project

IMI is working with in school chuldren to develop mental balance and general wellbeing, June 2015

Children Mental Health and Development Services
The challenges of children growing in broken families included; the big burden to achieve life goals on their own –with no hope of parental intervention, inability to make wise health decisions, difficulty to ensure personal safety and healthy social relations, generation of high pressure to achieve and to break development barriers (mentally, socially and institutionally), the fear of dropping out of school due to inability to pay fees on his or her own that catapults into failure to concentrate and excel academically in order to attain a good career, inability to solve problems associated with choosing and having healthy relationships, and inability to manage chronic stress that characterizes his or her family life a condition that, potentially, pursues child into adulthood –and in responsible social positions. Also, there are critical challenges of lack of social support coupled with the lack of confidence to seek it –as viable path to building resilience required for the child succeed in life.
Family and individual members in it cannot be separated from the wider community. Indeed communalism is medicine of its own. The wider community had inexhaustible reserves for the family to access for survival and wellness purposes –which is a foundation for community survival and wellness –in return.
As the family continues to play its children development roles –providing both moral and physical support, the community, too, begins to identify its development concerns and wishes in that child. That, though, can either be for the good or worse. Responsibility on the part of family and community and eventual decisions made, thus, contributes to mental wellness of the child that characterizes freedom from the means to psychological trauma as violence.
Case study:
Decision making is a choice reached after verifying available options, consequences, and resources to pursue a specific cause. It is as a result of a cost-benefit analysis of having children that a prospecting parent made decisions, rather than on the basis of urges or feelings. This was so simply because urges or feelings did not think apart from causing excitement.
Attachment denotes the nature of the bond between the mother and the child while level of attachment implies the degree of the existing bond between the mother and the baby or child.
Children in Uganda have been most marginalized –with children-friendly health services only limited to referral hospitals. Elsewhere in the country, children share facilities and health care services with adults –an indiscriminate administration of health –yet special care for them is paramount.
Direct, structural and institutionalized violence too claims the lives and right morals of children. Domestic violence does not only take the life of one of the parents, but also is psychological violence –moreover the worst a human being can experience. That, now, becomes a children affair to deal with, or a shared experience upon observing parents fight.
Cultural environment –which is discriminative according to gender; never recognizes the rights of children and the reproductive health rights of women –and those have turned out to be a huge and overwhelming social cost –including HIV spread and under-development. Cultural provides a way of life that suffocates the rights of women and children as men behaved immorally –supported by it.
The economic environment disables parent’s ability to sustain children education, or not even at all afford it –yet it is through child education that the future a community is secured –given the highly productive citizenry.
The cycle continues from children dropping out of school and opting to marry or succumbing to wrong and untimely choices to conceive –when pressured by the economy; then there the burden becomes a product to be handed over from one generation to another –rendering the talk of children rights only a dream.
Now, that the parent unhealthy lifestyle dictates the quality of life of a children, level of attachment –a level where insecurities and future behavioral problems begin; irresponsible parenthood, reckless and risky behaviors of a parents as children observe, low or no health seeking ensues –as there will be no money and, ultimately, lack of motivation to adopt a healthy lifestyle –even when health guidelines are issued (which in turn affects children health), leads to broken family situations, or broken marriage relationships. And as the saying goes, “if elephants fight it is the grass that suffers,” the consequences accruing from broken-family situation hit children hardest –as all the anger gets projected to them in form of abuse and neglect.
It is from such grounds that families and communities face accountability for in the child’s teen or youthful years. No shall we have a moral fabric in society, violent free generations, because society simply ignores the root causes of structural violence –whose origin is quality of care of children right from conception. And who should save the children of Uganda?
Parenting is thus a responsibility one finds himself or herself under voluntarily or involuntary. During adolescence, gradual changes that may be cognitive, emotional, biological, physical and social or environment occur.
The qualities of changes are influenced by how well decisions are made at different levels of interaction (cognition, instinct or biology, emotional, social and/or natural environment) in relation to one’s sexuality. It all begins at conception –through important stages of birth, special care of newborns, weaning, and child in playful stage, socialization and learning, gender roles or interests, young stardom, youthful period and adulthood.
It is important explore parents’ basis of taking on responsibilities over children, quality and level of attachment, parent’s ability and circumstances under which she or he conceived, and the parent’s nature of the environment and lifestyle.
However, equal treatment among children (boys and girls) must be emphasized as it was told by children (4 boys and 4 girls) and adults (6 males and 6 females) such that they both benefit from existing development opportunities –of education (both formal and informal) and employment.
Friendliness between parents and children was highlighted (4:4) –with correction behavior attributed to light beating -with strongest emphasis put on friendly conversations with children (6:6). However, to parents, family planning was still a big challenge –as hardly at all did men approve of it (regarding condom use).
On the other hand, women complained of hemorrhage and delayed resumption of pregnancy as most negative (2 of 6 mothers).
Condom use was out of every parent’s mind –given the fact that they were married (6:6). 1 of 6 mothers said that she privately sought family planning services, because her husband did not care about it vital role. 2 of 6 women nurtured a norm that alcohol eased delivery and was associated to healthy and pretty babies.
Becoming a parent was not only an urge or a status reached by accident as some young women say, but an issue –not even pressure from elders or traditions could determine. It was important to look at children as human capital of the future –through integrating health care, nutrition, and early child care services for young children in developing countries.
It did not matter what age of pregnancy, but from the time of conception. But for the purposes of this submission, care had to start from the time one started developing feeling to become mother or father because, ultimately, the quality of decisions made counted in determination child health.
Child care was a cost the prospecting parents needed to think about long before deciding to conceive. In fact, child care began at conception. Successful child care ought to put that into consideration, otherwise the psychological implications of neglect and abuse potentially turned out to be the most damaging to the child or baby.
Failure of parents to ensure child health growth and development is by and large a result of poverty. This greatly hampered decision making. In rural and semi-urban areas it is only mainly men who went to work while women stayed home to cook and bare children.
In the same way, the nature of jobs determined by their level of education do not at the same time help meet children development needs as women complained of men’s negligence. There is thus a need to start life skills education, poverty alleviation program and reproductive health (or health education) programs to help better family-life situation.
Broken-family events are a result of extended family system failing to stand the test of time (twentieth and twenty first century new world order). As the urge to have children arose as traditionally demanded from the ages of 18 and above or less, the new order, instead, required productivity of prospecting parents before, at all, they decided to have children.
Others –even when economically liberated will tell you that things are not really. The confidence is only left to the possibility that God will provide for them. For some reason, the question of sustainability of care and love within the family set-up is ignored –yet critical.
Policy makers should embark on massive gender-conscious literacy or education programs intertwined with aspects that address reproductive health concerns, impart life skills, or vocational skills –all of which empower communities with tools of rightful decision making that go as far as influencing health children development, or for that make transform children rights talk from theory to practice.
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
As client
As volunteer
As service activity sponsor
As client sponsor
As fundraiser
As donor/funder
As ambassador
As development partner
As friend
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Visit our blog www.integratedmhi.blogspot.ug
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HOW YOU CAN REACH US
Telephone: +256774336277 or +256752542504
Email: waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk or dishma.imhs@gmail.com

Terrorism and Mental Health

TERRORISM CounterInterventions
Terrorism was a global threat bound to spread to all countries that shared conditions and history of discrimination, oppression, foreign dominance and social alienation, which turned victims into killers (Mamdani, 2004). In Uganda, reports showed 84 people –either blown out of being by 7/11 explosions or dead but with some body parts missing. This was masterminded by the Somali terrorist group called the Al-Shabaab, allied to the Al-Qaeda Network (Ssenkabirwa, 2010a). These events occurred with concerns of possible psychological trauma suffered by survivors, rescuers, families, neighborhoods, and concerned members of the public, whether present at the bomb scene or not. It had a contagious effect (Greig, 2006). The experiences showed that events as the 7/11 may have caused wide range of emotional and behavioral problems (Tanielian and Stein, 2006). This prompted interventions to enable coping, well-adjustment, and sustainable psychological healing for families from well-prepared and equipped service providers. Indeed, following the 7/11, a handful of service providers rushed to the scene to attend to the victims (Ntulo, Mugherera and Ndyanabangi, 2010). Proactive responses were made at various fronts to deal with the adverse impact it caused: at the military, medical, psychological, family, individual, group, religious, and media levels –within  the country, regionally, and globally to support families of the dead, injured, and survivors –without injuries.
The incidence was so tragic and historical –without experience on interventions and guidelines.
Unemployed or ambitious young people, most of whom come from refugee communities,  have been lured into terrorist activities upon being promised either money or better life after death away from uncertain future. Once poverty and indoctrination are married on one hand, and powerful ambitions and indoctrination on another, a powerful terror spirit can be created. The Ugandan youngsters who bombed Kampala had been promised an equivalent $250 Uganda Shillings per month.   From the information fed to the suspects there was a clear indication that such information is packaged in a way that convinces the executioner that life would be better than the current. In his confession to the Ugandan press one of the terror suspects (Idris Nsubuga) revealed that by answering a phone call (that triggered the bomb blast) his life will never be the same. In his words he said,
"I thought by answering this call my life would be better," he said. "But it changed it entirely -- I've never been the same since then."
Unsuspecting youngsters are taken advantage in the name of religion to carry out acts of terror, Issa Ahmed Luyima a much more senior member of the Al-Shabaab found it easier to recruit his young brother (Haruna Hassan Luyima) than any Ugandan outside his kinship -as they could be suspecting enough ti foil his terror plan. He was quoted in the Ugandan media saying,
“I did not want to work with my brother but recruiting other people was very risky, so I manipulated him.”  
In another media statement that reinforces the terrorist organizations' act of indoctrinating young people into terror activities, the inspector general of police was quoted saying,
“The eight Pakistanis arrested preaching in Pallisa were initially in Kasese recruiting children and indoctrinating them in Madarasa (Koran schools). The next thing, they were in Pallisa without documents.”
In conclusion, extremist in religions was the critical contributor to terrorism showed by yes (84%), no (1%) and other factors (15%) against religion at yes (30%), no (64%) and other factors (6%), and foreign policy at yes (28%), no (58%) and other factors (14%). It is therefore pertinent for religions and other ideologists to preach tolerance and promote diversity, as the media plays the role of creating a human spirit -across religious and cultural spectrum.
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
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Visit our blog www.integratedmhi.blogspot.ug
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Mental Health and Governance in Uganda

MENTAL HEALTH GOVERNANCE
Psychologically, the ekimeza (round table discussions) offered an opportunity for frustrated and disappointed citizens to vent such psychopathological conditions off –which alone was therapeutic as affected participants will leave the forum calmer and feeling better than they came –having ‘blown’ out the toxics of anger on those leaders that betray their people. In the same way as earlier noted above, the need for identification can have significant influence on stability of the state once that state fails to respect such a need.  But according Whitman (2005:2), the objective of policy was to preserve and increase the relations (like ekimeza) we value and to exclude or reduce the relations we hated. Preserving hate feelings only generated conditions for conflict rather than peace.

Good governance catered for citizens’ cultural (leadership), political (decision making),  economic rights (access to development opportunities) and safety concerns –which if the government of Uganda had valued as one way to grant wellness and peace to a society that deserved such rights, violence would not have occurred. True measure of good governance was its ability to deliver development based on realizing people’s humanrights.  Indeed, the cultural-led violence was merely a spark that triggered the silence conflicts of economic deprivation, ineffective representation, and hopelessness of life under the sets of political, economic and security rights or concerns of the people of Uganda, as the case in point.

It can be submitted, now, that there is  need to let ebimeeza (plural) flourish at all leaves as forums to brainstorm societal problems, for problem-solving, for venting and psychological healing or peace and for enabling policy reform and formulation for the benefit of the common man, and for healthy relationship building as meaningful avenues for good governance and peace-building. However, more research is needed to define and set limit of the ekimeza/group discussions so that, while it assumes the rights and freedoms of assembly, information and expression, and appreciative of its responsibilities to society and governance, it knows it limits for orderliness Uganda and common good of its people.

HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
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Public Mental Health and Governance in Uganda

We yearn to survive, to feel secure, to find pleasure, and overcome pain from the day of coming into existence. There are specific needs to achieve those goals, such as food, water, medicine, social and professional support, renewable environment resources, and their continuous and anticipated access. Because they are survival, security, social, pleasure needs, we realize the right to access them and the responsibility and duty to work towards their realization. When these rights are not achieved at the moments they are most needed, the individual will be overwhelmed to levels when he or she cannot cope, which subsequently disrupts rational clues of achieving them or even any such hope, belief, and abilities to do so. Without interventions to address rising vulnerability of the individual, the cognitive, emotional, physical, social, spiritual and environmental connections are impaired yet are the ones responsible for his or her existence and achievement of the greatest of that person’s goals. There are specific references given to cases of mental illness that develop –one after the other –leading to total mental breakdown. Each of these cases ought to be addressed in singularity in new environments that accelerate healing, until the point the individual relearns the old environment and develops healthy coping mechanism to live and attain development goals there. This organization suggests th creation of a mental health infrastructure that creates contact with vulnerable groups and boosts their recovery while building their strength of coping and resilience to overcome their obstacles to expressing and obtaining their needs and rights. The infrastructure will be able to spot their unmet needs in some development time and process better the unhealthy mental attachments and images, provide natural means of negotiating access to natural needs and rights, enable such accesses to individuals who show natural effort and negotiation mechanism around challenges to expressing and realizing their needs and rights while using successful individuals to inspire others, until we achieve levels when the individuals can fix own challenges, express desires in most healthy way possible, seek assistance where they are trapped, and become responsible to themselves and society to achieve their aspirations. In doing so, the infrastructure will enable realization of people who are empowered and mentally well –sustainably.
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
As client
As volunteer
As service activity sponsor
As client sponsor
As fundraiser
As donor/funder
As ambassador
As development partner
As friend
Visit us
Visit our blog www.integratedmhi.blogspot.ug
Visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/integratedmentalhealthinitiative
HOW YOU CAN REACH US
Telephone: +256774336277 or +256752542504
Email: waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk or dishma.imhs@gmail.com

Making Love and Marriage Relationships Work: A Psychotherapist's Perspective

LOVE AND MARRIAGE interventions

Founder of IMI, facilitating at an event in April, 2017

Different levels of marriage have unique element of conduct and freedoms. The peak of religious practice and traditionalism set parameters of highest level of conducting marriage relationship. In tradition some uniqueness too occurred based on whether society was patrimonial or matrimonial. The leading and most influential sex has most benefits and decision-making roles against another in determination marriage relationships and their future. In religious sections, patrimonial took the day, under the indirect influence of the matrimonial with strong observations of the conduct so that parties enjoy fully the benefits of the marriage relationship.  The diverse worlds of living -liberty, conservative traditional practice or moderates, shaped the conduct of marriage across the world - whether traditional or religion, leading to either more flexible terms of marriage, its avoidance or less responsibility and obligations over the terms of it to significant loss of value so that marriage is becomes more about bearing children rather than companion. Such influences now shape much of the world and little resistance succeeds at conserving marriage values for mutual benefits and fulfillment over extended time. In turn marriages have lost meaning to many leading to single parenthood and having sex like tea or coffee with anyone anytime.

The widespread conduct has failed the universal element of love to develop and instead replaced by violence and no cultivated love for healing and building harmony in society sustainably, and distraction of development and focus by endless conflicts, deprivations, deprivations, and even disruption of peace. In whole, society run into anarchy and instability, which renders production and economic development stagnant as focus is on spreading, inflicting pain and dealing with it to further generate fear and emotional instability in adults and later their children. There is a greater tendency towards focusing on the failure than success of marriage, which becomes self-fulfilling. Indeed once, contradictions begin, the focus on the good intentions of marriage too is deranged. This can go on and on until marriage order returns based on true love that causes reluctance to harm another and rather preserve harmony, to heal, to prosper and to realise future goals. Looking at the strengthen of true love against and effects out of show of no love, respect, royalty, responsibility for the marriage institution, which reciprocate same elements from other side and further build trust, faithfulness and naturally lasting true love relationship. Conflicts in in marriage weakened the marriage bond and gave way for room to express and invest the love elsewhere. Failed marriage relationships based on love, respect, slow to anger, responsibility and focusing on love during difficult times, is a choice, decision and action that goes on to bind, develop, strengthen and to levels that are natural and powerful to resist and nurture similar attributes in the social environment. It is necessary to have model marriages that can inspire such a trend in our society to provide invisible security to the oneself itself and expanded application of love, healing of emotion wounds and peace.  Its development is gradual, undergoes several tests to mature. Challenges are faced, take toll, unlearned and overcome to build stronger relationship. It is this new states (unbreakable trust, unshaken love -with efforts to renurture it each day, persistently get in line with those virtues to allow them grow to perfection, natural phenomena - patiently; respectively discuss differences, share thoughts with questions, seek to understand before reaction, take off time for a day to week of understanding without earlier influences - before response, protect and defend values, respect institution and fear to mean it and fill in unbearable consequences of shutter and enduring personal conflict, be model of behaviour for one another, be sensitive to effect of thought or action, allow distractions to go their way - come and go; be aware of such environs that are infested with immoral forces and conscious what is best for you to thrive, focus on development to further nurture relationship and best options that constantly present themselves for lasting marriage institution; negotiate away from undesirable contexts; and build assertiveness to defend institution) that develop very loving and lasting marriage relationship. It is indeed the good deeds done out of love, respectfulness, and humility that protect the marriage institution. It is better to keep the love, respect and humility for sustainability of marriage relationships than no as much as keep the commitments to marriage that feed and nurture the relationship.
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
As client
As volunteer
As service activity sponsor
As client sponsor
As fundraiser
As donor/funder
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Visit us
Visit our blog www.integratedmhi.blogspot.ug
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ELDERLY AND MENTAL HEALTH

Elderly Need Ready Care and Support (Source: Internet)

MENTAL HEALTH AND THE ELDERLY:  The major tasks are to seek further instances that are linked to cognitive and emotional states that affect physical wellbeing, how external experiences affect his mental wellbeing, how physical activities affect his mental strength, and coping strategies for the psychological ills - notables like anger, discontentment, compulsiveness, mood changes at inability to live to his expectations adversely affect his physical health - body ability to cope, leading to hypertensive tendencies.
Methods:
specific inquiry and analysis of information given against existing scientific models for in-depth understanding, comparison and general conclusion, with openness for further discovery, regeneration and conclusions from personal experience with specific cases presented by supported individual.
Five (5) interventions were conducted for month two -coded sessions. Immediate redress was emphasized along the path of intervention.
Session 1: Cultivating self awareness and self discovery- openings through narrations and lamentation; breaking cycles of lamentations and narrations -and release of burden of unwanted experience.
Session 2: Aversive therapy: Recurrent anger and frustration as poison; feels helpless to relax himself from them as better said than done.
Session 3: Lifestyle evaluation - knowing and exercising limits - show understanding and knowing danger of exceeding limits (like values being dependent on who pursues them) - exercising consciousness of self to know when to give an issue a break for  day, week or for good, self prioritization and self management within the environment he operates.
Session 4: Examined strength of the physical body to withstand external and internal pressure. His regular physical activities were noticeable, but goal-oriented, which too potentially took toll on his health. This was done to find out if he was most concerned about external needs with limited consciousness about the internal self. He was asked him whether he has moments of self examination and experiencing consciousness of the body during and after his work in order to get feedback on how well he was daily, so that his actions can be guide by self awareness against the person goal set.
Session 5: A general conversation was struck to look for areas of mental schemas that are ill conceived for immediate review and restructuring with him and commend those that are healthy for the body.
Results:
Session 1 Result: Result: Felt illuminated from different pointers put to him along conversation paths: clear view of events, acknowledgement of reality, clear knowledge of right paths, clear and instant decisions, and experience of happiness at the end of the day.
Session 2 Result: Demonstrated relaxation techniques from engaging sleep and breathing exercises during anguish to allow relaxation and weaken attachment. Demonstrated persistent reflections on session: waliwo webelaawo nezijukira byogamba. Showed midway between changes - cognitively and indicated return of self-consciousness and increasingly becoming more helpingly consciousness about himself and emerging from drowned depressions to submerged levels.
Session 3 Results: Showed strong knowledge of himself -not to burden himself with societal expectations so long as he is happy within himself and satisfied at personal level, 'until i am happy with myself, will i concern myself with others'; showed awareness of the need to limit social contact for personal regeneration 'i am ambitious but see how far i can go for any desires to avoid hypertension'; Upbeat ad exercising effort about improving his life, 'you search and i will research what you search... for example, when i am taking water, i experience every detail of it'. He was comfortable with me tailoring my interventions to his routines to ease grasp, integration, and personal practice.
Session 4 Results: He said he had some time with himself before going to bath, which was interesting and noted. I inquired from him whether he was involved in any conscious raising before waking up so that he shrugs off disappointments of yesterday and get fully into the new day. "i do that every orning from 4am with prayer on radio.' Are you involved in any conscious body movements? Ebyo abasawo nga tebabingaba, " he said. I said, yes, the body and mind work together to be in position to withstand pressures on the physical side. He responds, Byongamba binyongeddeko bingyi ku byemanyi." Wobatonamya mugaso gwekintu oba okilabulabi pakka ommuntu wakugamba nti kino kola kusonga enno ne eli." Kati etaala lyakka. Newonaba ogeeze e South Africa, njakulinda, he said this after suggesting to him to meet another colleague who could meet with him while i am away. He was not clear on conscious physical movement much as he acknowledged is importance. Next encounter will be for him to demonstrate how he develops consciousness of his body state and physical movements, besides cleaning the compound and other domestic chores.
Conclusion:
Great acknowledgement of the gains he has made from the interventions and happy to have them shared with the rest of the community. I noted he has a new pet, which is great. Pet are known to reduce the incidence of depression of potential sufferers. He shows greater cooperation than ever before and much grasp of aspects of his life to change. However, he is still at contemplation stage breaks always in consecutive months (4-6 months) to give way to actual change. Interventions is also challenged by unclear time is best ready to work with his life from the routine. He has a greater tendency of being busy with this or that. In that regard, evening hours were slotted in as much suitable, much as he is fatigued. Intervention will continue to focus on evening times of the day, with some sessions along his routines so he can contextualize new experiences. It is on recognition of noted gaps from his abilities that the intervention tailors itself into his own discoveries and streamlines them into a recovery programme and foundation to withstand future mental and physical shocks linked to hypertension. Tailoring interventions to fit local context was most ensuring strategy of working with a person of his kind. He is an intelligent man; he could review and demonstrate knowledge of what we concluded with in previous sessions giving cases of people he knew. Next interventions will seek him to demonstrate how he deals with the psychological ills - having realized how important to handle them, including the past misgivings, and to demonstrate he copes with failure to meet his expectations as those fundamentally influence his mental and physical states.

HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
As client
As volunteer
As service activity sponsor
As client sponsor
As fundraiser
As donor/funder
As ambassador
As development partner
As friend
Visit us
Visit our blog www.integratedmhi.blogspot.ug
Visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/integratedmentalhealthinitiative
HOW YOU CAN REACH US
Telephone: +256774336277 or +256752542504
Email: waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk or dishma.imhs@gmail.com

REFUGEE MENTAL HEALTH

Refugee Homebased Mental Health Services Provided By IMI:
Deals with PTSD Cases as shown below;
-Stress from experiences of fleeing
-Loss of ability to attain basic survival needs
-Loss of social status, identity and individuality
-Stress of exposure to a new language, new race, and cultural demands
-Sense of frustration and isolation, difficult to express needs - due to language problem
-Separation from/loss of family member
-Inability to communicate to separated relatives
-Stress of prolonged crowded conditions
-Physical fatigue,stress from sleep deprivation and poor nutrition
-Stress from being burden to or unwanted by host country
-Competitive, hoarding, selfishness, violence and guilt by threat to survival
-Ego fears

IMI EXPERIENCE ON REFUGEES
IMI experience on refugees showed that Economic Migrations was made possible by globalization whose forces of demand and supply were felt by every country. The economic insecurities made the possibilities of migrations even stronger as it was only way to survive poverty. ‘Nationalism’ was exhibited as a natural aggressive reaction to new comers, which without leadership EMs risked being injured or killed for the fear of altering control and benefit of available economic opportunities. Sustainable Development was made possible by tolerant and accommodating leadership that took advantage of the working age of EMs to generate revenue in form of tax while at the same time remitting millions of dollars back to their native countries to support families and the economy. Conclusion and Recommendations: EMs motives were genuine and necessary for survival of populations bypassed by development. The fears to new comers (EMs) were expected and normal just as one would react to any change whether good or bad. Good governance was key to sustainable development with supported efforts of EMs. Eventually outcomes were good for everyone –including the nationalists. Thus, there was need to relax restriction on EMs, management of extreme fears of nationalist and for EMs to learn to cope while institutions protect sections of the community that are insecure and at risk of violence, and expansion of infrastructure to accommodate and reduce negative pressure on available resources in order to transform the new situation (EMs and Nationalism) to benefit all for a long-term basis –with due consideration of the renewability and continued benefit from the environment resources.
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
As client
As volunteer
As service activity sponsor
As client sponsor
As fundraiser
As donor/funder
As ambassador
As development partner
As friend
Visit us
Visit our blog www.integratedmhi.blogspot.ug
Visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/integratedmentalhealthinitiative
HOW YOU CAN REACH US
Telephone: +256774336277 or +256752542504
Email: waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk or dishma.imhs@gmail.com

Integrated Mental Heath Initiative 2016/17

INTEGRATED MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE
Current and on-going activities:
• Regular studies and analyses on mental health related subjects.  
• Home visits and home based care.

• Psychotherapy sessions.

• Mindfulness practice for mental development and peaceful states of the mind and the environment

• Caregiver training.

• Community sensitisation for mental health empowerment.

• Partnerships and collaborations for conducting interventions and resources mobilisation.

• Formation of community mental health clubs for self-help and achieve self-sufficiency.

• Capacity building for organisations, community leaders, teachers and parents.

• Strengthening development linkages and form affiliation for clients, supported communities and auxiliary mental health services reinforcers.

• Streamlining mental health practices among development agencies and grass root organisations.

• Monitoring and learning.

• Integration of best practices in programing.

• Competency and professional development for staff and updates and newly developed psychotherapeutic programmes.

• Advocacies and campaigns to promote public mental health.

IMI Experience (Lessons):

The mind was the vehicle for achieving the highest of goals, including public health goals. However, mental illness from across the globe was increasingly evident highly contagious. The sick and neglected environment set the stage for the trials and tribulations. Healing needed integration. The macro level conditions provided trying moments for individuals to either be subdued or to subdue and prevail. It was those who failed to overcome the conditions that suffered. And both preventive and healing medicines were rendered ineffective. Life after chronic stage was not catered for, yet clinical conditions were insufficient without aspects of environment and spiritual diagnostics of mental illnesses. Without dealing with macro level conditions, mental health care was not care at all. Stronger attention ought to focus on institutional net-working and cooperation with related institutions and persons combining forces to realize the project’s goal, through carrying out annual national-wide conferences on conflict resolution, international relations and nurturing peace as gateways to human and ecological security as well as initiating community-led and support development infrastructure to reduce vulnerability to mental dysfunction and prosperity for all. Such conferences formulate adoptable guidelines, legislative or legal structural designs and policies for local and international managers for use in decision-making processes. The project membership and affiliation was unlimited (consisting of its staff, hired experts, researchers, volunteers, interns, guest speakers, collaborating institutions, etc) in nature, since we all need one another in the struggle for human and ecological rights and entitled to them. In its interventional programmes, the project has interests and undertakings in spirituality (faiths, beliefs or religious sects); mental and general health, including socio-cultural, socio-environmental, ecological, socio-economical, and socio-political spheres for general well being and functioning of the communities in their day-to-day lives.
Sustainability strategy and lessons:
• Community ownership and mainstreaming mental health services in the main vessel of health care delivery.
• Representation of mental health concerns in key areas of health administration and policy formulation.
• Formation of mental health clubs and associations -with which to build capacity and help reduce pressure on existing manpower while helping to reduce adverse impact caused by mental poor health -characterising violence, abuse and neglect of family and social responsibilities.
• Integrate major predisposing factors to mental illnesses such as human rights abuses, environmental degradation, ignorance and poor socioeconomic environment to lessen vulnerability and promote economic and general mental well being.
• Beneficiaries will be grouped in viable economic forces to gain economic, social and participation power so as to recover fully from economic and psychological depression -in addition to strengthening mental abilities to adjust towards and forth from any degree of depression (Mental health empowerment).
• After working for the parent organisation, they are graduated to manage their own businesses with minimal supervision.
• The IMI continues to thrive from the shared resources to run organisations projects further ahead with remits from its internal investments build from tapping from the mighty talents and skills of its clients.
Replicability:
• After three years of clients working with IMI, they are prepared to enter a one year transition into gaining administrative independence so that they can run and thrive on their own using the proceeds gained from working for the parent organization (IMI) plus a booster grant of 500USD -given to them.

• First by widening resources base through renewable resource strategy, direct engagement with potential funding, utilise local engagement -to raise resources for self-help, and investment in its accumulated assets for sustainable revenue and self-funding as well as maximise private consultations. In line with increased resource base, the organisation, which now operates at district level, will initialize country-wide, regional, inter-regional, and global mental health facilities for it service and products utilization.
Best practices:
• Improve office infrastructure,
• Support sessions so that we do not have to charge fees to needy clients,
• Reach out to communities who cannot make it to our offices,
• Provide free food and clothings to beneficiaries,
• Support self-sustenance of our beneficiaries,
• Provide basic literacy trainings to children and youth,
• Support mental empowerment programme for our beneficiaries -including youths, parents and local leaders.
• First by widening resources base through renewable resource strategy, direct engagement with potential funding, utilize local engagement -to raise resources for self-help, and investment in its accumulated assets for sustainable revenue and self-funding as well as maximize private consultations. In line with increased resource base, the organisation, which now operates at district level, will initialize country-wide, regional, inter-regional, and global mental health facilities for it service and products utilization.
Way forward:
Future IMI will provide entrance for sustained healing and empower affected individuals to cope with the wider worldly challenges, brave the test, find mechanisms for problem solving and overcoming them so that they emerge victorious and happy yet mentally well. IMI in its response relishes multi-systemic and multi-ideological strategies to transform afflictions of individuals, groups, communities, nationals, and regions for into drivers of mental and general wellbeing. Without such amount of leadership that rallies forces and professional responses towards social, economic, governance and individual afflictions, communities like any other organism will endlessly be threatened by misery and extermination from life while adding more pressure to already vulnerable sections of society, unable to cope with macro development pressures and overcome them in order to be mentally well –with established comprehensive mental healing infrastructure under IMI that, after chronic stages of mental illness, gives caregivers support; community is prepared on how best to relate with vulnerable members, leadership is lobbied to allocate resources, and support vulnerable communities physical and spiritual needs with ties to mental illness, and mental and skills training for vulnerable sections of the community.

IMI MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AS AT 2017/2018

Founder Speaking at Psychological Trauma Conference and Training Workshop in Catholic University of East Africa, Nairobi-Kenya, 2011

IMI HOMEBASED AND CLIENTCENTERED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

• Psychotherapy Research and Development Services
• Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Services 
• Psychological Trauma Management
• Psychosocial Support Services – Social crisis interventions
• Mindful Therapy and Development Services
• Children Mental Health and Development Services
• Love and Marriage Development and Psychotherapy Services 
• Education Support, Mental Health and Development Services
• Livelihood Support and Development Services
• Refugee Mental Health and Development Services
• Disability Support and Recreation Services
• Conflict Transformation and Peace Building Services
• Counterterrorism and Terror Handling Services 
• Organisation Process and Development Services
• Mental Health Governance and Development Services
• Indigenous and Alternative Psychotherapy Services
• Spirituality and Faith Healing Services

HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED

• As client
• As volunteer
• As service activity sponsor
• As client sponsor
• As fundraiser
• As donor/funder
• As ambassador
• As development partner
• As friend
• Visit us
• Visit our blog www.integratedmhi.blogspot.ug
• Visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/integratedmentalhealthinitiative 

HOW YOU CAN REACH US

Telephone: +256774336277 or +256752542504

Email: waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk or dishma.imhs@gmail.com 

Mental Health Seminar: Call for Applications

Integrated Mental Health Initiative (IMI)
Presents
“Sustaining Mental Wellness”
Seminar

Date:   6th June, 2018  and 10th June 2019
Time: 10am -3pm

Period: 5 daysVenue: Narambhai Road, Plot 15, Jinja
Partners: Afrikan Yoga, Makarere University, and Black Herbals International.Speakers: Kiwanuka (Black Herbals), Pablo Imani (Afrikan Yoga) Dr Juuka (IIAM), Massade (Nutreal Ltd), and Prof. PeterK.Baguma (School of Psychology, Makerere University).
Subjects: Holistic Mental Health, Life-Style
“Achieving sustainable mental wellbeing”
Organising: Integrated Mental Health Initiative (IMI)


Work Plan

1. Bookings
2. Contact Speakers for confirmation. (Dr Juuka, Elder Kiwanuka, Prof. P.K. Baguma.
3. Contact potential sponsors: Sponsors/donors will have logo on flyer.
4. Stall Holders: Space for business and organisations to hold a stall within the hall to raise awareness of their products and organisation. Stall holders incur a small fee. Sponsors can be stallholders.
Potential Sponsors and Stall holders: NOGAMU National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda. Forever Living Products Uganda, ACACIA Yoga Centre
PHONICS Uganda, AIRTEL, ECOBANK. NATURE UGANDA. AIRTEL UGANDA, In Foris Group Connecting (U), NTV, SIMBA fm.
Serena Hotel, Imperial Hotel.
5. Contact faculties and departments: Psychiatry, Mental health and Psychology Botany, Agriculture, Food Science & Technology faculties (Makarere University) The involvement of 1-2 (persons) members of the faculties above to team with organisers to conduct roles within the organisation of the event. (Confirm faculty involvement life-line 21/05/16)
6. Set roles and duties of Faculty Members: Flyers, Raising awareness, Registration, Assisting Stall holders, Ushering, Preparation of Venue, Clearing Venue.
Note. Faculty members may have to utilise text communication to raise awareness of the event.

BUDGET (Life-line items)
Hall hire
Printing of A5 5,000 –10,000 full colour flyers
Printing of A2 Poster 50-100
Stationery, notebooks and pens.
Photocopying
Expenses: Transportation, Meals for speakers
Expenses Organisers and faculty members: communication airtime and travel

To register $150 for nationals and $400 for internationals, including accommodation
To SPONSOR the event, FUNDRAISE or DONATE, please contact us.
See www.integratedmentalhealth.org
www.facebook.com/integratedmentalhealthinitiative

Professionalising and Mainstreaming Mental Health

Professionalising and Mainstreaming Mental-Health Programme
The Integrated Mental Health Initiative is pleased to announce a programme to standardise and professionalise counseling and psychotherapy though promotional of reading culture among paraprofessionals and active mental health practices to raise confidence and competence in practice. Training opportunities are also available to improve practice, increase efficacy during interventions and mainstream knowledge and application of psychotherapy to promote sustainable mental wellness in all development and social sectors. In that respect, handbooks are available for continuous update of knowledge and skills as well as induction in administration of psychotherapy. To order, write to us.

Mental Health without Borders Programme

MENTAL HEALTH WITHOUT BORDERS

The Integrated Mental Health Initiative is pleased to inform our old and prospective clients that with effect from May 2016, we will have our services extended to you by correspondence under MENTAL HEALTH WITHOUT BOARDERS (MWB) PROGRAMME. Existing means by which you can communicate to us is www.imi.blogspot.com, www.integratedmentalhealth.org, dishma.imhs@gmail.com, and by phone +256774336277. By these means we will be in contact with you, hear from you, conduct assessments, design therapeutic programme, have weekly feedbacks on progress, continue on the recovery path to the end of the programme, get back to us for comprehensive reviews to the point of well adjusted states to handle conditions and situations on one's own. Like on other programmes we need volunteers, interns and fundraisers to reach inaccessible areas and persons who cannot reach us by any means of communications. We look forward towards experiencing with you sustainable mental wellbeing as for all others you may be in contact with.

Mental Health for the Elderly and Disabled Programme

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS AND INTERNS TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED PROGRAMME

The Integrated Mental Health Initiatives invites expression of interest from prospecting volunteers and interns to support MENTAL HEALTH FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED PROGRAMME in Uganda.

Much concentration has been put on the adolescents and midlife categories overtime until recently when we found greatest ever neglect of the elderly and disabled whose mental states have showed to deteriorate much with age. Without interventions the secondary effects have impacted caregivers and relatives, leading family level mental health concerns, who reacting many ways including further negligence, which prompts earlier deaths.

We hope that extension of mental health services to the elderly and disabled, who cannot afford costly access to professional services, will resurrect spirits, renewed positive energies and strength for them to live happy and longer lives through our initiative's homebased intervention.

Currently 99% either are unaware of existence of such services or cannot afford them. It is upon this basis that the Integrated Mental Health Initiative calls upon interns and volunteers to support MENTAL HEALTH FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED PROGRAMME in Uganda and extend services to them by volunteering, interning on it and by fundraising or donating to it. Volunteers and interns are needed twice a year -from February to April and June to August.

To volunteer, intern, fundraise or to donate write to us - dishma.imhs@gmail.com

Call for development partners

Call for Development Partners to Support Mental Health Development

Integrated Mental Health Initiative was started in 2015 as a community based organisation  that designs, integrates and applies programs that promote mental wellbeing.
www.integratedmentalhealth.org

It would be a pleasure if you shared information about this organisation with humanitarian foundations and ministries as well as development students and workers to support this organisation, which applies psychological approaches  for mental wellbeing, peace and development. And also develop ways to strengthen peace and development initiatives through sustainable efforts.

I am supporting this organisation to succeed in Uganda and Africa. We also welcome volunteers who can come, support, and give it a stronger foundation. You can also like our Facebook Page:www.facebook.com/integratedmentalhealthinitiative

I will be grateful if you helped promote it there and in case we are needed there to come learn from you or share our expertise, or otherwise wish to hear more information from us, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Internship and Volunteer Development Programme

Call for Expressions of Interest in Internship and Volunteer Development Programme

We are looking for interns to join a 1-2 months internship programme. For volunteers, it can be longer subject to paid work on a successful project during volunteering time of 3-9 months. Prospective interns have a fundraising option of minimum of 1500 USD. This is used to meet costs of accommodation, food, transport and community interventions. Beyond that standard of living interns are encouraged to carry extra funds for extra costs of their comfort. Programmes are; administrative, outreaches, needs assessment and projects development, partnership development, fundraising, research and advocacy, psychological needs assessment, psychotherapy design and administration, behaviour change communication, community and family counselors, community empowerment, media and journalling, impact assessments and restructuring, talent development, IT development, local solutions for remedies, and recreations. June to August and February to April periods for internship. Volunteers are accepted on rolling basis.

To express interest in supporting mental health through internship or volunteering programme write to us: dishma.imhs@gmail.com
You can show your support by liking our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/integratedmentalhealthinitiative

Mental Health Conference: Call for Participation

The Integrated Mental Health Initiative and Uganda Buddhist Center cordially invite students, academics heads of universities and colleges, local government leaders, religious leaders and the general public for an educational seminar under the theme: “Healing Transgenerational Trauma: Critical Evaluation of Right Mindfulness and African Wisdom.” to take place at the Uganda Buddhist Center premises in Bulega, Garuga, along Entebbe Road (Gerenge Taxis dock at the Old Taxi Park – ask to be dropped at the Uganda Buddhist Center). The event will take place on 9th and 10th April 2016.

Regarding the Pilot Study  from April 9-10:

1. For international travelers, there is NO transport refund, However, food and accommodation will be provided.

2.  Participants from Uganda will be provided with food, modest accommodation ( one room per two people) at Banana village and their transportation cost ( taxi fares only) will be refunded.

3. All participants should confirm their participation before April 5.  

Entrance is free

You are all invited.
For further information, email dishma.imhs@gmail.com or call Jacob +256774336277, also visit our FP: www.facebook.com/integratedmentalhealthinitiative

The Worth of Borrowing and Lending Money

Jacob Waiswa, Peace and Conflict Program,
Makerere University

Money influences standard of living and eases the struggle to reach life goals. There can be relentless strive to reach one’s life goals, with or without money. Both the lazy and hardworking characters develop strategies relevant to meeting their immediate and long term needs.

It is believed that working hard everyday yields good results. However, there are a lot of cases that show success in people’s lives, who are known to have worked less to attain it. It is at this point that the aspect of luck begins to mean something to admirers.

While hardworking people incur equal amount of effort to attain much-needed development levels in life, the lazy ones look for short-cuts. Of the two categories of individuals, the actions of the hardworking person are most acceptable.

It is widely understandable that hardworking people excel in all their endeavors and eventually become wealthy. The lazy ones either resort to ‘unacceptable’ means to success or choose passive living, so that their survival costs are met by the hardworking group, through begging.

The race to success is accelerated by social status of one’s family, size of social support group, and the nature of social influences from ones social environment. The challenges faced to reach life goals arouse given emotional, psychological (justification of the need), and behavioral state or orientation.

With a supportive social environment, an individual will have a positive outlook towards life, a strong attitude to achieve his or her life goals, high confidence, high self-esteem, enthusiasm to perform well at work, ability to take action steps, passion towards work, critical problem-solving skills, and resilience along the path to success.

Unfortunately, not everyone reaches his or her dreams, a measure of them or even, at all, make begin a journey to register achievements. The fact that some people work so hard for nothing while others do very little or nothing to succeed is an everyday puzzle. Such inequalities cause animosities, for which God and earthly leaders are usually blamed.

Hardly do people accept roles for their failures, so much that even when they have the means to work out their way to success, they keep blaming other people for their woes. Otherwise, it can be true that some people are just not doing enough to change their bad situations for the better. If they did, probably, they would not clamor. Or perhaps steps used to achieve their goals are the ones worth questioning.

In modern times, the greater pressure to meet primary needs, as food and sex, is helped by money. Its absence prompts people to resort to aggressive behaviors and other unethical ways to have those needs. The non-assertive ones resort to self-destructive ways, as substance abuse and suicide to cope with the symptoms of depression.  

Borrowing is one coping strategy that many economically-hurt people turn to for temporary relief. Events towards pay-back, however, resurrect depression and associated psychological symptoms. Like it is for smokers and alcoholics, people find themselves borrowing, until it becomes a hardened habit.

Borrowing, though, is an acceptable channel to reaching one’s economic objectives. But its enslaving nature places it among the most evil practices worth giving no legitimacy to. Failure to pay back the loan worsens existing miseries of life as the feeling of guilt and pressure to pay back the loan triggers health concerns as hypertension, headaches, and even death.

As pressure to meet primary needs builds internally and from the outside of the individual, he or she is compelled to seek relief through borrowing. And when the relief is found, the individual regains the much-needed sense of calmness and total cessation of the reason to pay back the loan. It becomes more of the lender’s concern.

And because the pressure to seek the loan was emotional rather than a well-intentioned and reasoned-out process over time, the individual will only feel victimized of the ‘fact’ that he or she has to pay back the loan. It seems to him or her as an issue of the past, not now. He or she will struggle away from the new pressure to pay, whether he or she is able to pay or not.

It is at that level that criminalization of the individual takes root. Under criminal procedures, there must be evidence before prosecution takes effect. However, court action worsens the victimization effect more than it solves, and will move to cement hatred between and among relationships.

Traditional borrowing is based on brotherly and friendly relationships, aimed at bailing out loved ones or those cared for, where signing of contracts is never a big deal. The borrowers are motivated to pay back, basing on the need to preserve existing relationships between them and the lenders.

The emotional-based borrowing pays no attention to that; instead, it pushes individual to downplay the need to pay back the loan at any cost. As would be expected, the relationship soon falls apart. Mending the relationship not only calls for paying back the loan, but also rebuilding it.

It takes years to build an exciting relationship, but a little while to break it. It is the reason that influences more caring people to desist from placing business and money matters at the center of relationships. They find it better to give out money without strings attached than to lend it out expecting pay back, sometimes with an interest.

The approach strengthens existing relationship and prevents the ills of broken relationship from developing. And the borrower will be saved from the adverse health outcomes as depression, pressure, stress and associated psychosomatic manifestations.

In cases where the lender cannot afford the amount of money the borrower needs, he or she would explain why he is willing to give the stipulated amount, more over without expecting it back.

And if the person approached for financial assistance can not at all donate any money, it is wiser to acknowledge lack of it than to promise or feel guilty for not fulfilling the ‘obligation’ to give. Free giving and free receiving can then be a solution to modern-day problems; both at individual, national, and global levels.

It is important that emotionally-driven people limit their plans within the available resources, until a time when the amount of resources at their proposal increase to support new ideas. Before that happens, new ideas should remain in files awaiting action.

At some point the kind of patience is needed, as it remains clear to the would-be borrower that the long-awaited time for activating ideas will come. And when that happens, individuals will not have to put pressure on themselves or others. Instead, they will be elevated to new levels of life, happiness and good health.

Review: Services at Dishma Inc.

Dishma Inc. Wishes to Announce the Availability of Life-renewing Services:

·         Hope Resuscitation

·         Spiritual Health and Guidance

·         Managing Stress

·         Anger Management

·         Managing Violence

·         Dealing with phobia

·         Dealing with Addictions

·         Getting Out of Dilemma

·         Breaking the York of Procrastination

·         Living a Fulfilling Life (life skills)

·         Mental Health Assessment

·         And Other Psychological Concerns

To make an appointment with us email: dishma.imhs@gmail.com or by phone: +256-75-2-542504 (mobile) or +256392614655 (landline). You can write to us by addressing your letters to: Dishma Inc. P.O. Box 8885, Kampala-Uganda

Using Insight Meditation to Treat Psychological Trauma

“Buddha was an African, Buddhism started in Africa, and so it is worth celebrating.” Prof. M. Ruranga, Makerere University, 2010 Buddha's background and principles of thought can be traced in the Black people in India known as Dravidians –another connection to Africa. They inherited India's older Black civilization known as the Harappan civilization, which existed from around 4,000 BCE and was the contemporary of Nubia prior to the first Egyptian dynasty. In the centuries that followed, the Dravidians of India experienced a cultural and religious invasion from the north (circa 1,500 B.C.) by Indo-Europeans who called themselves Aryans (Nijel, BPG 1999). Buddhism is an ancient practice of achieving and preserving wisdom –which in turn facilitates eradication of suffering, misery and disease in all beings –to total liberation and happiness. If well explored, the likely conclusion would be that, Buddhism is a philosophy. “Christian definition of religion practically excludes Buddhism. Unfortunately, English language is not a spiritual language and many words do not do; just the Pali language words like Dhamma, Buddha sasana and so on... I think, a philosophical point of view is more inclusive.” -Ven. Bhante Buddharakkita, The African Buddhist Monk, 2010 It is necessary and natural to decide which development path to pursue as several options arise in order to preserve life. And, regardless of individuals’ Independence and contentment, ultimately, they decide which philosophy best works for them. Today, we are often confronted with pressure to choose one or more desirables among the many –with difficulty in a given time and space. A Buddhist value system is based on eight values (Eight Nobel Fold Path), which include: right thought, right speech, right intentions, right actions, right effort, right livelihood, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The positive outcomes from these teachings are that they helped individuals to avoid possessiveness that cause unnecessarily worrisome, anxieties, and suspiciousness; to avoid jealous which increased mental pain; helped to build individual diligence through application of energy and alertness of right intensities to achieve success; right intentions (or a life without stealing, taking other man’s wife) to avoid embarrassments, shame, guilt and loss of respect; to build individual confidence, social harmony with self and fellow men, to avoid generating anger among others through verbal and behavioral provocations (Knight, M.L. 1999). During the Buddhist practice of insight meditation, three participants (3) quit the program and four (4) completed it. Outcomes vary among participants –depending on the quality of each individual’s response to instructions and understanding of the message about Buddhism. Affected participants received advice to continue doing it at home at least twice a day or in a group (once a week) –and announcements of new opportunities around the world are made to perfect their meditation practice elsewhere. The practice involved breathing in and out while observing sensory activities in and outside the body. Breathe is tools which can help one explore the intra: it causes no obsessions like addictions to drugs and other pleasurable behaviors –while helping to create union with oneself (Goenka, S.N. 2007:2). Awareness of the natural and normal breathe advances one to gain subtle truths about one-self [p.3]. Vipassana technique helps to purify the mind –eradicating the negativities within the person. it is a form of operation within one’s conscious performed to remove complexities hidden therein [p.4]. The outcomes were as below: Masterly of the mind and actions –through taming ego and instinct, and there was stronger reality sense –which created stress and anxiety free conditions within an individual and his or her environment. There was slowness to react and effectively ‘arrested’ the tendency to crave, and negative reactions; created a sense of oneness with nature and with society, mental alertness and eased efforts to let go, calmness and relaxed states –helping to avert migraine tendencies, and greatly put off anger towards others. Unfriendly behaviors sharply and easily recognized as they came to the fore (conscious from the unconscious) and ably substituted it with positive dharma lessons on positive living –with right attitude towards nature. That is kindness to all beings and appreciation of nature. Supported by continued practice of the technique, rightful thinking always determined rightful action in day-to-day life. Participants became peaceful amidst challenges of social interactions –and full of love and humor –be it with family, or at work, or with anyone –including enemies. Also at work, concentrating and productivity were high. According to Rahula, B. Y. (2009:53), sustained awareness of the challenges faced during such activities (yoga and insight meditation) like rising thoughts, ideas, worrying, breaking of pattern, day-dreaming, restlessness, tiredness, sheepishness –all of real life experience which patiently are seen vanishing under the universal principle that everything naturally change towards a certain orientation –which must be accepted as realities. Healthy minds and bodies thus provide way foe sustained inner peace within individuals. Along that path to freedom, consciousness, perception, sensation, reaction verses remaining aware and equanimous provided a clear way to emerge from suffering. And pleasures attached to objects or displeasures developed were responsible for the craving (s) –leading mental tensions and reactions. involves examining oneself to see the true nature of physical and mental structures. Modern science has confirmed those findings in the sense that: material universe is composed of subatomic particles which rapidly rise and pass away (S.N.Goenka, 2007:13). You keep trying and eventually you realize that you are coming out of suffering [p.23]. Although spirited devotees turned ritualistic, Buddhism was either non-religious or religion by choice. It was a way of life –with amazingly positive outcomes to life-systems leading a practitioner to happiness as final destination. Unlike other religions, Buddhism was experiential. It had enshrined practical values –yet universal (recognizing diversity) that guided one to empirically undergo sustainable healing to attain total state of wellness –rather than if it was merely a matter of believing. It was applicable to day-to-day-life bids to yield harmony for oneself and others. Moreover, it was one way of empowering oneself in particular and psychologically traumatized people in general with the tool of objective decision-making –rather than if one rode on love-hate interactions, imaginations and emotions. Now, though, its reception in Africa is still poor. In conclusion, meditation was not just about the label, “the Buddhist thing” but a very helpful –yet effective practice to achieve complete state of wellbeing –regardless of the religious affiliation, race and tribe or origin. Beneficiaries develop a sense of collectivity with all elements of life and nature –which in a sustainable manner was catalyst to healing. At the end of the exercise, healing was real and complete –when the individual (s) no longer has negative conflicts in the mind or defeating perceptions about life (or body). References: Nijel, BPG (1999) Nuba Wrestling: The Origin of Martial Arts Revealed! BFK Magazine Available at http://www.nondomesticatedthinker.com/2010/03/african-origins-of-the-martial-arts-by-nijel-binns/ Accessed in September 2010 Goenka, S.N. (2007) The Discourse Summaries Vipassana Research Institute India Knight, M.L. (1999) Morals in the Life Story of the Buddha: Lessons for Teaching Youths Available at www.bps.lk/catalogs/international_%20catalogue.pdf Accessed on November 22nd 2010 Rahula, B. Y. (2009). The Meditation of Body & Mind The Buddhist Association of the United States NY April, 2009. P.53

Pan-Africanism and Family Mental Health: Is there any Link?

Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analyst
Dishma-Inc.
P.O. Box 8885,
Kampala-Uganda
Tel. +256392614655/+256752542504
dishma.imhs@gmail.com
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com

Pan-Africanism is a spirit, it is love, a feeling and an action towards betterment of the land of Africa and the life of people of its origin abroad. Family mental health, on the other hand, is the state of wellness cognitively, spiritually, culturally, socially, economically, environmentally, and even physically in a family environment. To achieve mental wellness, all spheres of person’s life must be interacting harmoniously with each other.

From a case of a client –who suddenly left work and began walking “aimlessly” on streets of Kampala, back home and away from it, accusing every one of her troubles –including those that cared much, losing understanding of the environment by 50%; identify reasons for walking away from work and from home distrustful of everyone and everything, it was found vital to find the extent of pan-Africanism in helping patient recover.

Interventions involved holding discussions colleagues in the field of psychology, with religious leaders, with a psychiatrist in Jinja Psychiatric Ward, reading, analysis of existing data on mental health, analysis of held data verses reviewed literature and professional opinions and recommendations, analysis of observed client behaviors, use of cognitive-based therapy, analysis and consideration of traditional medicine, consideration and analysis of Christian and Muslim prayers (or exorcist powers).

Integrated spirituality to counter lack of trust for anyone and raise self-control, enactment to prove to self that people accused –indeed loved her and wished her well, counseling to give direction, re-socialization with the right people (caring and loving) to gain positive identity (social networking sites like face book were brought into play) and, equally important, drug therapy.

Inculcated positive life values (as part of on-going counseling), like respect, love, tolerance forgiveness, flexibility, peaceful coexistence, harmony, patience, building on positives out of a trying situation, exploring personal development goals, giving back to society, appreciation of diverse cultures and religions, friendliness and talking as way to positive change others, exposure to inspiration books -containing lots of wisdom and/or life-skills -including the Bible and some elements of Islamic teaching.

Cognitive based therapy was highly effective at creating realistic images in the mind of the victim; psychologists met (4:1) preferred to address the case spiritually by seeking interventions of powerful, prayerful Christians; traditional healers where not in any way rightful in their work –only exploited the client by asking huge sums of money –sometimes for no positive results.

In the earliest stages of her illness, churches and Duwa prayers did not yield results despite the client spending a period of six months of residence at a church. They inflicted more fear to glue the patient to their services –so as to continue thriving financially.

The Jinja medical official associated the problem with unsatisfied libido –which made sense as it had been found that the client was a victim of a failed relationship –more so having given everything to secure it in vain.

Analyses of them all showed that the client had been abused during her teenage years causing her to be distrustful with exception of her friends and boy-friend.

That, then, got worsened by father’s abuse in the 20s and neglect by family members she thought were responsible for her wellbeing.

The final trigger was when the boy-friend she loved so much too off-loaded her –and whoever had hurt her in the past (including job loss) was made responsible with statements such as, “she took my boyfriend, she is be-witching me, I saw her during prayers by pastor and sheikh and so she was responsible.”

Nigerian movies were misleading as the patient, a fan of them, took all images for the truth and applying them in the day-to-day running of life. Such images included: a big scale of witchcraft, evils spirits, relationship breakdowns and confrontation –which greatly constituted her perceptions of the environment –be it towards people, animals, or objects.

A combination of drug therapy, good feeding, drinking a lot of fluids to meet bodily needs, counseling, re-experiencing motherly love –as if she was being reborn and re-introducing prayers at this stage, re-socialization to develop a new positive identity –using facilities like face-book to make connections to caring old friends and family members by phone as well as conducting visits to trustworthy and goodwill personalities –while keeping a temporary distance away from people listed to have hurt her –for at least a year, and re-orientation to the work settings were very effective at re-shaping her.

While churches and traditional healers remained prominent in healing practices, initially their approaches were not in anyway useful as they worsened the client’s state of mental wellness through imparting more fear that: “so” and “so” were responsible for the problem at hand.

Spirituality became most effective when introduced at the time a client was being furnished with mother’s love and care –who sooner introduces her to a worthwhile faith for further healing.

The ability of religion to solve human problems cannot be disputed. It is important to note the fact that, there are people in its leadership –who have selfish interests and continuously misguided clients for the sole aim of ripping big –financially. In fact, spirituality being above human understanding and power is excellent haven for the neglected sections of society, the mistreated, and the suffering ones.

When individuals lose trust and confidence in others or every other thing in life, it became an escape route or emergency door (by to going spiritual). But it all began with believing in order to experience the healing effect. Positive religions had means to restore broken social relationship and to cope with rejection.

Numerous studies indicate that the quality of child up-bringing influenced future of a child life confidence of the self, improved intelligence quotient, resilience and sense of trust in the self (self esteem). Brain studies demonstrated that early years were critical in the development of intelligence, personality, and social behavior before the age of three.

On the other hand, the media influences negatively the attitudes already held by individuals –where if a movie showed robbery, adultery, witch-craft, confrontations and murders, viewers took them for real life issues –and went on to form values based on what they have seen.

Mental health interventions call for a wholesome package of inputs that constitute food, fluids to drink, supported information by way of counseling, rightful spiritual guidance and rightful associates –who kept using constructive and positively transformational statements away from hurting people of the past and present.

Encouraging reading culture and exposure of books that impart real life values and skills empowered young people –such that: where there is no parent or doctor intervened in their life. Self liberation came from with knowledge and exposure to right role models. Megna in 2010 once wrote, “Through reading, I have learned a lot about life and the world I never would have known by watching TV for instance.”

In the final analysis, the client had been abused during her teenage years causing her to be distrustful with exception of her friends and boy-friend. That then got worsened by further abuse in 20s and neglect of family members she thought were responsible for her wellbeing.

The final trigger was when the boy-friend she loved so much too off-loaded her –and whoever had hurt her in the past was made responsible with statements such as, “she took my boyfriend, she is be-witching me, I saw her during prayers by pastor and sheik and so was responsible.”

It was a combination of abusive family, neglect and failed love relationship. These combined with negative media influences as Nigerian movies, limited social support to give guidance on coping and problem-solving gave for way panic attacks.

It is therefore important to note that children need love, understanding and acceptance through their teens -which cannot at all feature in broken families or under step-parent care (especially step-mothers).

Such can be a ground for all forms of child abuse -including unexplained torture, rebuking, bullish from mainly the male guardian, constant scrutiny in search for anything reflective of a negative label, and denial of equal opportunities with other children in the home.

Because of that, it is worthwhile that children in their adolescence grow up with their biological parent; in this case -the mother –while ensuring access to physical support through legal and gender support systems.

Patience and persistent matters a lot as no specific time line can be attached to complete healing. It is the kind that takes between one and half to two years. Moral support continues into the youthful and adult years –since no man is an island. We need each other for strength, encouragement, mutual assistance to achieve life goals.

With the concept of pan-Africanism too in line with the values of unity, cooperation, love in development, it serves a purpose in directing supportive forces against a social evil and assimilation of negative past together for a positive future –henceforth a means to control and prevent psychological trauma from individual level, to family level, to national level, and to global level –benefiting Africans in Africa and in Diaspora directly, and indirectly everyone –through meetings, bargaining and negotiation at different levels to solve problems and keep peace.