Namibia saw 11 489 people admitted for mental health treatment during the 2024/25 financial year, with a total of 91 544 mental health cases reported during the same period.
Ministry of Health and Social Services chief health programme officer Magdalena Didalelwa revealed this during a school health task force training at Mariental on Tuesday.
Didalelwa said 123 people with mental illnesses died.
She attributed it to stigma and discrimination, family distress, social ills, and the impact on vulnerable groups.
“The economic impact includes loss of productivity, increased healthcare costs and disability claims,” she said.
She added that 365 people in the Ohangwena region attempted to take their lives between April 2024 and June 2025, while 12 reportedly took their lives between 19 and 30 July this year.
She said suicide is high among men.
Didalelwa said many cases remain undiagnosed due to limited awareness and stigma and the reported cases only represent a fraction of the actual mental health burden.
She said schools encounter issues related to pupil behaviour, substance abuse and mental health, while teachers often lack skills to identify and manage mental health challenges.
She called for stronger multi-sectoral collaboration through school health structures to promote early identification, referral and support for pupils experiencing mental health challenges.
Currently, mental health services are only provided at the Mental Health Unit at Windhoek Central Hospital and at Oshakati Intermediate Hospital Ward 16, with only six psychiatrists, eight psychologists and 21 nurses trained to deal with the condition.
Meanwhile, the mental health bill, currently before the National Council, seeks to prioritise human rights, community care, and rehabilitation.
IT IS WITCHCRAFT
National Council member and Mukwe constituency councillor Augusta Katembo during the mental health bill discussion on Tuesday said mental health in rural areas is often associated with witchcraft and curses.
She said the issue is often misunderstood and neglected.
“I have seen seven boys at a school in my constituency walking naked on the street and at the shop centre. They do not sleep at home but in the bush.
Some of them are my relatives,” she told The Namibian yesterday.
She said some families hide individuals with mental illnesses due to shame and fear, which leads to isolation and lack of treatment.
She said some mental illnesses are due to drug abuse.
She raised concern about limited access to specialised mental health facilities in her constituency, severe shortages of trained professionals, poverty, trauma and social stressors.
“Mental health is not a privilege but a constitutional and human right,” Katembo said.
She said the situation is triggered by long distance to healthcare facilities. She added that people depend on under-resourced clinics and lack of care and support.
She also called for partnerships with traditional authorities and community leaders to address stigma and public awareness campaigns that shift harmful perceptions.
“Healing must begin within communities, not in institutions,” she said.
The bill is expected to introduce the protection of rights, protection against abuse, unlawful detention and inhumane treatment, access to care, and expansion of mental health services beyond hospitals.
Hompa Alfons Kaundu of the Mbunza Traditional Authority yesterday said he has not observed people affected by mental illness because of witchcraft. He said mostly it is caused by drug abuse, relationships and stress.
Ondongo Traditional Authority spokesperson Frans Enkali says research should first be conducted to validate such accusations.
He says communities often attribute deaths to witchcraft despite knowing that the deceased had been ill.
“Those are old myths. We do not believe in our people. That is how nature controls itself,” he says.
Oukwanyama senior chief George Nelulu says he has only heard about such cases but could not confirm whether they were true, as there had never been proof.
He says the illness is viewed as a cultural practice and is traditionally treated by witch doctors.
“In my 84 years of living, I have never seen someone taken to court for witchcraft.
The traditional authority often tells them to apologise or deal with it themselves,” Nelulu said yesterday.
Shiimi Shangula of the Ongandjera Traditional Authority says witchcraft is a belief among black people.
He says such claims are never proven and warns that punishment could end up being imposed on people who are not the actual perpetrators.
Human rights activist and Alzheimer Dementia Namibia chief executive Berrie Holtzhausen says people living with conditions such as dementia, autism and depression are often accused of being possessed by demons because communities do not understand their conditions.
He says elderly women are often targeted after unexplained events or illnesses in communities.
The accusations can lead to isolation, fear, poor sleep and loss of appetite, which can further affect their mental and brain health.
“Authorities should take witchcraft-related abuse seriously and protect people from violence and discrimination,” he says.
– Additional reporting by Nampa
