Mental health fears over khat use
BBC - July 7, 2008

There are fears that the stimulant khat is contributing to mental health problems within the UK's east African communities. Dil Neiyyar of the BBC's Asian Network reports.

In a courtyard, two men sitting on a bench are staring intensely at a pond. The pair appear mesmerized by the gentle and repetitive splash of the water from a small fountain.

This walled oasis in London's East End is the Tower Hamlets branch of the mental health charity Mind. In one of its many rooms, Abdi Rahman is playing pool with a friend.

He explains why he thinks the stimulant khat is responsible for the loss of his job and subsequent slide into mental illness. Read More.