Mental Health Research in Namibia: A scoping Review of Literature

Abstract

Background: Mental disorders contribute significantly to the global burden of diseases affecting about 30% of the population. In Namibia, there has been very little research on mental health to inform policy and interventions.
Aim: This review sought to explore the extent to which mental health disorders have been researched in the southern African country.
Methods: A scoping review of studies conducted in pre- and post-independent Namibia was carried out.  Electronic databases of published articles were searched using the terms such as: “mental illness”,  “psychological disorders”, “Namibia”, and “South West Africa”.
Results: The searches produced 11 900 hits and 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. Results indicated that there have been relatively few publications on mental health. Studies focused mainly on depression as compared to other mental illnesses.
Conclusion: There is still need to invest more in research on mental health in Namibia in order to craft  appropriate evidence based  interventions to improve mental well-being of the population.