Widespread unemployment, the rapid proliferation of gambling outlets, and mounting personal debt are driving a severe mental health crisis in Lesotho, health officials have warned.
These daily struggles point to a broader failure to tackle the country’s underlying socio-economic challenges, resulting in hundreds of suicides each year.
Dr Thabo Mokhothu, Acting Director of Mental Health, stressed that the crisis reaches far beyond hospital clinics. Speaking at a stakeholder meeting on Tuesday, he said the psychological distress seen in health facilities mirrors the wider challenges facing the nation.“
These challenges include unemployment, gambling branches everywhere, and debts,” Dr Mokhothu explained. “They reflect that, as a country, we have problems addressing our socio-economic determinants. We are not tackling people’s challenges at the root. So even when they present as mental health issues, they affect the country at large.”
The meeting, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), aimed to validate global statistics that rank Lesotho with the world’s highest suicide rate. WHO data shows 87.5 suicides per 100,000 people annually, with some sources citing 82.7. This is more than double the rate of the next highest country, Guyana, and nearly ten times the global average of about 9 per 100,000.
“Most countries have a rate of about 9 per 100,000, which shows they have made progress in suicide prevention,” Dr Mokhothu noted.
He pointed out that Lesotho has long depended on external data without sufficient local studies to verify the figures, underscoring the urgent need for domestic research.
To address this, the mental health programme convened diverse stakeholders to identify gaps in data collection. “Today we have brought together different stakeholders to discuss the gaps that exist in finding data and the challenges that hinder us from getting accurate information,” he said.
While local data is limited, clinical observations indicate that young women often attempt self-harm due to gender-based violence and relationship problems. Men, meanwhile, tend to die by suicide more frequently, often using more lethal methods such as hanging or shooting.
Efforts to tackle the crisis are severely constrained by funding shortages. This is only the second year the mental health programme has received a dedicated budget allocation. Dr Mokhothu highlighted the limitations: “The money is very limited, about M300,000 for the whole financial year.”
The Ministry of Health is actively seeking external partners to sustain operations.
Going forward, new data collection tools are being distributed to health facilities. Discussions are also underway to integrate these systems with the police, home affairs, and community structures.
Dr Mokhothu added that a long-awaited national mental health policy addressing suicide prevention is expected to be finalised before the end of June. Once approved, authorities will develop a funded implementation plan to confront this national tragedy at its roots.
Summary
- Speaking at a stakeholder meeting on Tuesday, he said the psychological distress seen in health facilities mirrors the wider challenges facing the nation.
- “Today we have brought together different stakeholders to discuss the gaps that exist in finding data and the challenges that hinder us from getting accurate information,” he said.
- Dr Mokhothu added that a long-awaited national mental health policy addressing suicide prevention is expected to be finalised before the end of June.
Ntsoaki Motaung is an award-winning health journalist from Lesotho, specializing in community health stories with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as HIV. She has contributed to platforms like “Be in the KNOW,” highlighting issues such as the exclusion of people with disabilities from HIV prevention efforts in Lesotho.
In addition to her journalism, Ntsoaki serves as the Country Coordinator for the Regional Media Action Plan Support Network (REMAPSEN). She is also a 2023 CPHIA Journalism Fellow.
