Abstract
I recently spent 6 months in Namibia as a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. The purpose of my visit was twofold: the establishment of a database for trauma-related mental health disorders and the development of a validated, self-report screening instrument for mental illness. In the process, I was able to meet with Namibian colleagues and visit a number of health care centres in the country. This article will focus on my impressions of psychiatry in Namibia that were formed during my visit. A brief summary of Namibian history, in particular the country's relations with neighbouring South Africa, will help place my observations in a more meaningful context.
Highlights
Namibia, a member of the Commonwealth, occupies a land mass one-and-a-half times the size of France
The original inhabitants were the San people followed by the Khoi-Khoi tribe, who were in turn displaced by the arrival of the Bantu approximately 2300 years ago
Conquered by South Africa during the First World War, the territory was thereafter governed as a protectorate by the South African administration under mandate from the League of Nations
Summary
One of my favourite publications does not even appear on my curriculum vitae because I am not sure how to classify it. Collecting data can seem wasteful of time and paper, so outcomes have to be measured in a way that is part of clinical care, not a tiresome extra. For the first time we will be able to show that mental health care leads to improvements in patient health and well-being, both in a local service and nationally. This is invaluable if we are under fire from the press or called to account by the Treasury. Louis Appleby National Director for Mental Health, Room140 Richmond House,Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS
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