Zambia is grappling with a growing mental health emergency among its young population, as hospitals report an alarming rise in cases linked to substance abuse, depression, and socio-economic hardship.
Health officials say mental health facilities across the country are increasingly overwhelmed, with the nation’s main psychiatric hospital, Chainama Hills Hospital in Lusaka, struggling to cope with the influx of young patients. Between 2021 and 2024, Zambia recorded an estimated 100,000 mental health-related cases, with numbers rising steadily each year. In just the first months of 2025, Chainama Hills admitted over 10,000 new patients, nearly 75 percent of them youths.
The surge has exposed severe gaps in the country’s mental healthcare system. Chainama Hills, already under-resourced, lacks adequate accommodation and specialist staff, forcing some patients—particularly children and adolescents—to be turned away or referred late, when conditions have worsened.
Mental health experts warn that the situation has deadly consequences. Suicide is now reported as the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29 in Zambia, underscoring the urgency of early intervention and community support.
Substance abuse has emerged as a major driver of the crisis. Excessive alcohol consumption and drug use among young people are closely linked to rising cases of depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Poverty, unemployment, limited recreational opportunities, and social pressure further compound the problem, leaving many youths vulnerable and unsupported.
In response, the Zambian government is working to integrate mental health services into primary healthcare, reducing dependence on a single psychiatric hospital. Authorities are also developing national guidelines for the treatment of substance use disorders, aimed at strengthening prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation efforts.
Mental health advocates, however, stress that medical solutions alone are not enough. They are calling for wide-reaching awareness campaigns in schools, workplaces, churches, and communities to challenge stigma, promote mental health literacy, and encourage early help-seeking among young people.
The shortage of trained mental health professionals remains a critical challenge. With few psychiatrists and psychologists available nationwide, many communities lack access to timely and appropriate care.
As Zambia confronts this escalating youth mental health crisis, experts warn that failure to invest in community-based care, prevention, and youth support systems could deepen the burden on families, healthcare services, and the nation’s future workforce.
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