Mental Disorders Among Children Admitted to Mulago Hospital: Prevalence, Types of Disorder and Associated Factors

Abstract

Mental Illnesses among Children admitted on general wards are a frequent but often unidentified problem. The Literature suggests 20-29% prevalence among the general child clinic populations. There is a paucity of Literature on mental illnesses among children in Uganda. Civil strife and the HIV/AIDS Scourge in recent years have left many Ugandan children orphaned and traumatised. It is therefore likely that the prevalence of mental disorder among this population is high. There have however, not been any recent studies on the nature and types of mental illness as seen in Uganda today.