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Traumatic Stress AFRICAN JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS Volume 1 Number 1, June 2010 ISSN 2218-4937 A publication of Makerere University College of Health Sciences In Collaboration with Peter C. Alderman Foundation AFRICAN JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS Published by Makerere University College of Health Sciences Editor In Chief: Prof. Seggane Musisi, MBChB, FRCP (C) Deputy Editor: Dr. Elialilia S. Okello B.A, M.A, PhD Editorial Board Members Dr. Eugene Kinyanda, MBChB, M.MED PhD Dr. Etheldreda Nakimuli, MBChB, M.MED Mr. Henry Oboke, BA, MSc International Advisors Prof. J. David Kinzie, MD Prof. Thomas Wenzel, MD Prof. David Ndetei, MD, FCRPsych Prof. Margaret Morgan, PhD ISBSN (ISSN 2218-4937) Copy right ©2010 AJTS Correspondence Please address all inquiries and article submissions to: The Editorial Secretariat African Journal of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University Mulago Hospital Hill, P. O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda. Tel: +256 312 513469 Email: [email protected] Website: www.petercaldermanfoundation.org African Journal of Traumatic Stress Vol 1 No. 1 June 2010 ABOUT THE AFRICAN JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS The African Journal of Traumatic Stress (AJTS) was participatory democratic governance and in the established after the long realization of the need for empowerment and protection of vulnerable groups all workers caring for traumatized people in Africa, and all peoples from exploitation and oppression to communicate to each other, to share experiences, and advocates for an end to warfare and all its knowledge, skills and to support each other. It was industry; and for peace, freedom and justice for all realized that there was a need to document and the peoples of the world irrespective of race, colour, communicate all this knowledge to a wider audience creed, ethnicity, religion, gender, age or political beyond the African continent for the world to know, persuasion. appreciate and help the traumatized peoples of Africa in the context of the now globalized increase All opinions and articles published in the AJTS will of torture and organized violence as well as other reflect views of the authors and not necessarily views man-made and natural disasters. of the Journal. Prejudicial and hate literature will not be allowed. The authors will have to accept the terms The primary objective of the AJTS is to provide a and conditions as outlined in the “Guide to Authors” forum for discussion and presentation of papers page of the Journal. Papers submitted to the AJTS will to enhance the care and rehabilitation of the not have been submitted for publication elsewhere. traumatized people’s of Africa and beyond and After acceptance for publication, the author(s) will ultimately to contribute to prevention efforts to transfer copyrights of the accepted articles to the eradicate this evil of torture and organized violence AJTS unless if accepted by the copyright holders. from Africa and the world at large. The AJTS is copyrighted. All those wishing to use The AJTS will publish original papers from wide illustrations from the AJTS in other publications will and far-reaching multi-disciplinary backgrounds, first obtain permission from the publisher and will including research papers, field experiences, new acknowledge the particular issue of the AJTS as the innovations in care, reports, commentaries, book source of the material. Announcements and other reviews and even personal stories. Evidence-based informations may be allowed in the Journal but must papers will be of paramount importance. Short conform to the terms and conditions so set. communications, newsworthy reports, review papers, The AJTS is published by Makerere University College cross cutting issues as well as picture-stories will all be of Health Sciences in collaboration with the Peter C. welcome. The AJTS does not espouse any particular Alderman Foundation (PCAF). There will be two issues ideology/philosophical view but believes in the per year. For more information please contact the universal respect to human rights for all, in good AJTS website www.petercaldermanfoundation.org African Journal of Traumatic Stress Vol 1 No. 1 June 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial 5 A pioneer’s look at psychotrauma in Uganda “post-traumatic stress disorder 6 as seen in Mulago Hospital Mental Health Clinic (1992)” J.E Walugembe (Post-humus) The sexual violence phenomenon in the Great Lakes region of Africa 19 T. Niyonizigiye Justice and health provision for survivors of sexual violence in Kitgum, 22 Northern Uganda. H. Liebling-Kalifani and B. Baker Mental health problems among Kenyan refugees in a transit refugee 32 settlement in eastern Uganda. K.A Magoba , S. Nabwire , M. Kuhumura, A. Mawoko The human validation process model in loss and psycho-trauma healing: 38 A proposed approach to helping traumatized communities S.W Gitau Demon attack disease: a case report of mass hysteria after mass trauma in 43 a primary school in Uganda. L. Nakalawa, S. Musisi , E. Kinyanda, E.S. Okello African Journal of Traumatic Stress Vol 1 No. 1 June 2010 4 ABOUT THE PETER C. ALDERMAN FOUNDATION The Peter C. Alderman Foundation is a non-profit treat mental disorder using western medical therapies organization established by Dr. Steven and Mrs. in combination with local healing traditions. Elizabeth Alderman to help traumatized survivors the world over to heal from the mental health effects To fulfill this mission; the Foundation provides services of trauma. in the areas of: 1. Mental health care to war affected persons The Foundation is named after Peter C. Alderman, through supporting “Trauma Treatment Clinics.” the second son of the Aldermans who was killed in 2. Psychosocial support to vulnerable peoples like the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the formerly abducted children, former child soldiers, World Trade Centre, New York City, USA. He was victims of rape, war widows, single mothers at the tender age of 25. In memory of their son, and HIV/AIDS patients in the war affected the Aldermans, together with friends and relatives, communities. decided to do something positive about their grief, 3. Training health workers in the war affected areas hence the Foundation. in the management of the mental health effects of war. The Foundation’s mission statement is “To heal the 4. Awareness raising, sensitization, mobilization and emotional wounds of victims of terrorism and mass holding training workshops on management of violence by training doctors and establishing trauma trauma. treatment centres in post-conflict countries around 5. Research in the mental health effects of war the globe.” trauma on the population. As part of its mission, the Foundation works to To achieve these objectives the Foundation works with alleviate the suffering of war survivors in communities and within existing Ministry of Health structures of affected by conflict. The Foundation aims to provide the host country. In Africa, the Foundation currently holistic mental health care including (but not limited supports work in Uganda (three trauma clinics and to) physicians, psychiatric clinical officers, psychiatric soon to open a fourth clinic) and Rwanda (one clinic) nurses, counselors and psychiatric social workers in and is soon to open up a service in Liberia and these areas and to equip them with the tools to Kenya. African Journal of Traumatic Stress Vol 1 No. 1 June 2010 5 EDITORIAL Many workers helping traumatized people in Africa treating traumatized victims of war and political (NGOs, FBOs, CBOs, health workers, lawyers, human violence in various parts of East Africa. The collective rights activists, various government ministries etc) wisdom in those articles is that such mass trauma has have long waited to have a medium through which had far reaching deleterious effects on the physical they would share their collective knowledge, skills and mental health of Africans and it has retarded and experiences. The birth of the African Journal of nearly all socio-economic development efforts thus Traumatic Stress (AJTS) is established in this need. The creating mass poverty and contributing to the spread AJTS is a multidisciplinary non-sectarian journal with of epidemics including HIV/AIDS. no ideological or philosophical underpinnings save for the belief in the universal respect to human rights, The AJTS intends to champion and bring to the for the core values of caring and rehabilitation of forefront the heroic efforts of the often silenced and traumatized victims and for the prevention of torture sidelined voices of the workers helping the masses of and organized violence. the traumatized victims in Africa. In this inaugural issue, the AJTS features the original The AJTS acknowledges and is very grateful to the work of an African pioneer, the late Dr. James Peter C. Alderman Foundation and to all the Alderman Walugembe, who documented war related Post family who have generously sponsored the publication Traumatic Stress Disorder in Uganda and then went of this journal. on to dedicate his life to treating the poor and down trodden victims of political violence in Uganda. This Long live African Journal of Traumatic Stress. We issue also features various articles from the researches serve to heal. and experiences of various health workers African Journal of Traumatic Stress Vol 1 No. 1 June 2010 6 A pioneer’s look at psychotrauma in Uganda: “Post-traumatic stress disorder as seen in Mulago Hospital Mental Health Clinic (1992)” James Edward Walugembe (Post-humus)1 1 Butabika National Psychiatric Referral Hospital Abstract Dr. Walugembe pioneered the investigation of the psychological effects of war trauma amongst patients in Uganda when the diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was not yet widely accepted. He did this at the Mental Health Clinic (MHC) at Old Mulago Hospital as part of his Master of Medicine degree (M.Med) in Psychiatry in 1992. He followed this work through with more research and treatment of war-related PTSD amongst the down-trodden survivors of Uganda’s various wars till his death in 2009.
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