CHAPTER ONE:

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Mental health is a crucial component of health that has not received appropriate visibility, policy attention and funding for many years, especially in low and middle income countries. In these countries, between 76% and 85% of people with severe mental disorders receive no treatment for these disorders The corresponding range is lower in high-income countries, between 35% and 50% (WHO 2013). In Africa and Southeast Asia, most countries spend less than 1 percent of their small health budgets on mental health services (Shekhar et al, 2007). The human rights argument presents a moral principle that like every human being, the mentally ill are entitled to basic human rights. WHO considers mental health as part and parcel of body health. In 1948, the right to health was internationally declared as a fundamental human right by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Health was acknowledged as inherent to every human being and states were required to protect and fulfill the enjoyment of this basic human right. The Constitution of Uganda indicates that state and society are obliged to recognize the rights of people with disabilities, including those with mental and/or intellectual disabilities, to respect, dignity and integrity (Cooper et al 2010). The diagnosis of mental illnesses within Western psychiatry currently applies the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V (DSM V). The manual was adopted in an effort to shift towards a more continuum measure and has evolved with science and clinical research, from DSM I to the current DSM V. Its main purpose is to serve as a manual for clinicians to diagnose mental disorders for clinical utility. In particular, the DSM V aids clinicians to determine prognosis, treatment plans and potential treatment outcomes for their patients. According to DSM V, A mental disorder is a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities (APA 2013).