Mental Health Challenges for Namibia Disabled

Author: Sabrina Kaulinge
Published: 4 Sep 2022 - Updated: 3 Mar 2026
Publication Type: Informative

Contents: Synopsis - Definition - Introduction - Main - Related Publications

Synopsis: Mental health challenges for persons with disabilities in Namibia. There is a significant connection between disability and mental health, and that connection is more complex than it might seem.

Most people have accepted their disability as part of who they are. Understanding the relationship between disability and mental health into a healthy sense of self is essential. It is not something you decide to do.

Topic Definition: Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south and east. After the Namibian War of Independence, Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek. Namibia is a member state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Introduction

A recent study in the USA found that adults with disabilities reported experiencing more mental distress than those without disabilities. If Namibia had the resources to do the research, we would sadly find the results to be not much different. Frequent mental distress is often associated with increased use of health services, mental disorders, chronic disease, and limitations in daily life. There is a significant connection between disability and mental health, but that connection is far more complex than it might initially seem.

Main Content

During the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation, disconnect, disrupted routines, and interrupted access to health services greatly impacted the lives and mental well-being of people with disabilities. Persons with disabilities often have a compromised immune system and must be extra careful during the pandemic. We all learned how precious and fragile our health is during the pandemic; persons with disabilities did not need this lesson; they always knew. The added specter of catching a potentially deadly virus in the form of COVID-19 just added to the mental burden that they had to contend with.

In Namibia, healthcare services were stretched to a breaking point, hospitals were flooded, and so often, the marginalized people, in one way or another, found that they were almost completely ignored during the pandemic. Causing extra mental health distress with no way to engage on the subject or talk to professionals. This is an important topic with around 100,000 persons with disabilities in Namibia.

Namibia is focused on achieving the 17 UN SDGs that will help us attain a better standard of living and, as a country, grow our economy. However, if we do not look after and improve the lives of those most side-lined and forgotten, we cannot hope to achieve the United Nations' goals. This has been embodied in the promise; of Leave no one behind (LNOB), the central pillar of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs. The 17 Goals, in one way or another, collectively contribute to making sure the weakest in society are not left behind. Goal number three (SDG 3), Good Health and Well-being, resonate the most when speaking on mental health.

Persons with disabilities know that it fundamentally shapes their life experiences. Most people have accepted their disability as part of who they are. Understanding the relationship between disability and mental health into a healthy sense of self is essential. It is not something you decide to do. A support structure of the family, friends, caregivers, and society needs to be part of this. How will persons with disabilities in Namibia access this assistance when we as a nation are already living through a mental health crisis?

The LNOB principle is so important as stigmatization, and social constraints that so many persons with disabilities regularly face can lead to life-threatening depression. Research shows, for example, that people with disabilities encounter tremendous obstacles to "normal" social functioning that have little or nothing to do with the disability itself. These constraints and barriers are structural and ideological, from limited access to public transportation to the lack of flexible work options for persons, with myriad obstacles.

Simply put, it comes down to social structures that limit the full participation of persons with disabilities. Physical barriers, pervasive stereotyping, and the lack of labor participation are, in essence, a perfect storm, all too frequently setting persons with disabilities apart from the rest of society. This places an unbearable strain on their mental health. It leads to and contributes to an increased risk of depression and suicide among a group that is already very vulnerable.

Despite all the diverse challenges described above, life with a disability does not have to mean a life of unhappiness, isolation, or loneliness. Finding engagement and purpose are essential in overcoming isolation and combatting depression. It just means that we all, as Namibians, must make sure that no one is left behind, especially the people who are most easily and most often overlooked.

There is no quick solution or a wand to wave but focusing attention on this issue through articles like this will hopefully start a conversation. We hope that we as a nation and Namibian become aware of the struggles that we all face, and some of us face greater adversity and need our support.

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Sabrina Kaulinge and published on 4 Sep 2022, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.