World Mental Health Day 2025: Tackling Sierra Leone’s Drug Crisis with Universal Care and Support

When a Crisis Hits Home

In April 2024, Sierra Leone declared a national emergency on drug abuse, targeting the synthetic drug known locally as kush. Reuters reported that the government’s declaration came after a surge in addiction, deaths, and hospitalizations that have shaken the nation. The drug: cheap, potent, and often mixed with dangerous substances such as tramadol, synthetic opioids, formaldehyde, or even ground bone; has left families and communities reeling.

The devastation is visible. Young people are collapsing on the streets. Hospitals are overflowing. Families are losing hope. This is no longer just a public health concern: it is a moral, social, and psychological crisis. On World Mental Health Day 2025, as a platform that caters to wellbeing we would like to address these issues under the theme “From Chaos to Care – Service Must Be Everywhere”, as we cannot afford to look away.

In chaos, care must rise. In crisis, compassion must lead.

Understanding the Scale

Between 2020 and 2023, admissions linked to kush at the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital (SLPTH) surged by nearly 4,000%, reaching close to 1,900 kush-related cases in 2023 alone. The Politico SL reported more than 2,955 people registered for substance abuse treatment at that same facility, mostly between the ages of 20 and 34.

The World Health Organization has warned that kush’s affordability, availability, and unpredictable chemical composition make it especially lethal. Meanwhile, Sierra Leone faces a severe shortage of psychiatrists, psychologists, and trained social workers. Mental health services remain largely centralized, leaving rural and marginalized populations without access to care.

Addiction is not moral failure. It is a mental and social health emergency.

The Hands That Are Helping

Despite the scale of the crisis, several organizations and individuals are rising to meet it with courage and creativity.

The Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital has been quietly transforming itself. Once a symbol of neglect and stigma, the hospital has become a national example of progress. It has ended inhumane practices like patient chaining and now serves as a teaching and rehabilitation center. The facility’s partnership with Partners In Health (PIH) led to the country’s first psychiatry residency program, accredited by the West African College of Physicians in 2022.

In June 2024, SLPTH, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and PIH Sierra Leone, opened a 30-bed Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Freetown: staffed by psychiatrists, psychologists, and clinical officers. PIH also supports the country’s first mental health helpline, community-based programs in Kono District, and the integration of mental health services into primary care.

Grassroots organizations are equally vital. Creating Opportunities for Disadvantaged Persons (CODaP), led by Sahid Bangura, walks the streets where the crisis is most visible. Through school visits, community dialogues, and counselling programs, they connect youth struggling with substance use to rehabilitation and hope. Their message is powerful: addiction is a sickness, not a sin. Research to Action highlights CODaP as a leading example of community-driven rehabilitation in West Africa.

At the local level, community projects such as those in Dworzack — launched by FORUT and Awoko News :train volunteers to recognize mental health challenges and build peer support systems that reduce stigma and restore dignity.

This begs the question, what more can we do? Each and every Sierra Leonean, Everywhere.

From Chaos to Care: What Works

To move from chaos to care, must we dare say that action must happen at every level: immediate, community, and national.

First, mental health services must be decentralized. Rehabilitation and counseling centers should exist beyond Freetown, in every district and community health post. Training local health workers to provide basic psychological first aid can bridge the service gap.

Second, national helplines and mobile outreach programs should be strengthened. The PIH Mental Health Helpline has shown the power of accessible, anonymous support in crisis.

Third, youth engagement is critical. Education, skills development, and safe social spaces can prevent despair and drug dependency. Programs led by CODaP and community leaders prove that empowered youth are less likely to turn to drugs for escape.

Fourth, public policy must align law enforcement with health. The goal is rehabilitation, not incarceration. Policies should fund rehabilitation centers, not only prisons; and integrate substance use care into the broader national health strategy.

Finally, stigma must end. Faith leaders, teachers, media, and parents all play a part in changing the language around addiction. Words matter. Compassion saves.

Beating the Stigma -Not the Victim

Each time we mock or shun someone in crisis, we strengthen the silence that kills. The first step to healing as a nation is shifting our mindset. The people suffering from kush addiction are not villains; they are victims of trauma, poverty, and a broken system.

We cannot arrest our way out of addiction.
We can only heal our way forward ;with compassion and community.

What We Can Do?

As individuals, we can choose empathy. Listen without judgment. Share helpline numbers. Encourage professional care. Practice self-care and avoid sensational content that spreads despair.

As families, we can create safe spaces for honesty. Notice behavioural changes. Replace scolding with support. Learn how to talk about mental health in ways that invite openness, not fear.

As communities, we can organize local awareness sessions, peer groups, and counseling circles. We can support initiatives like CODaP and volunteer with district mental health programs. Compassion must become culture.

As a nation, government must strengthen rehabilitation infrastructure, fund community-based mental health services, and ensure every hospital and school has a mental health focal point. Jobs, education, and hope are the best prevention tools we can build.

Coping and Staying Grounded

Even those not directly involved can feel the emotional weight of this crisis. To stay calm amid chaos:

• Limit overexposure to distressing news.

• Practice grounding through breathing, journaling, prayer, or mindful silence.

• Volunteer safely: purpose can counter despair.

• Stay connected to friends and family; isolation feeds anxiety.

• Seek professional help if sadness or anxiety persists.

 A Collective Call

This World Mental Health Day 2025, let Sierra Leone and all nations facing similar crises ;echo this truth:

From Chaos to Care- Service Must Be Everywhere.

Let us be the generation that replaces fear with understanding, stigma with support, and chaos with compassionate action. Every life is worth saving, and every community deserves access to care.

References

• Sierra Leone declares national emergency on drug abuse – Reuters

• WHO Africa – Tackling Substance Abuse in Sierra Leone

• BBC – Sierra Leone’s Kush Epidemic

• Partners In Health Sierra Leone – Mental Health Programs

• Research to Action – CODaP and Sahid Bangura

• Awoko News – Community-Based Mental Health Care in Dworzack

• AP News – The Transformation of Sierra Leone’s Psychiatric Hospital

• Politico SL – Drug Treatment Admissions 2023