Vitamin deficiencies are associated with psychiatric illnesses, either by being the main cause or by being an aggravating factor. Psychiatric symptoms could also lead to poor diet. Vitamin deficiencies can play a role in compromising a patient's recovery. Vitamins are organic substances essential for several enzymatic functions. There are 13 known vitamins that are either fat soluble (4 vitamins, namely KEDA) or water soluble (9 vitamins, namely C and group B). ).When it comes to brain function, B vitamins are essential for maintaining myelin, neurotransmitter production, and the methylation cycle. Fat-soluble vitamins are necessary for inflammatory regulation, antioxidant regeneration, and genetic modification. Few studies on vitamin deficiencies have been carried out in sub-Saharan Africa. Below is an overview of vitamins and their relationship to neuropsychiatric disorders, with a focus on Africa. Vitamin B1 deficiency Thiamine (vitamin B1) is essential for glucose metabolism. It is a cofactor of the enzymes α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase in both the citric acid cycle and the enzyme transketolase in the pentose phosphate pathway. Severe vitamin B1 deficiency that may result from chronic alcoholism, diabetes, or malnutrition is commonly associated with Wernicke encephalopathy (WE). WE, clinically characterized by confusion, ataxia, and nystagmus, is an acute neuropsychiatric disorder resulting from insufficient thiamine supply to the brain. Confusion and disorientation arise from the brain's inability to oxidize glucose for energy, because B1 is a crucial cofactor in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle. A deficiency leads to an increase in oxygen free radicals, cytokines and impaired blood – b...... middle of paper ......nt enzymes. Neuronal membranes are protected from oxidation by vitamin E, thereby reducing inflammation in the brain. Tocotrienols are known to mediate disease by altering transcription factors in the brain, for example glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase (35). Depression has been associated with low plasma vitamin E levels, although other factors excluding dietary intake have been considered (36). Ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (AVED) is a rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease that occurs in North Africa (37). Its early identification is essential in order to initiate therapeutic and prophylactic vitamin E supplementation before irreversible damage develops. In Uganda, 63 (30.3%) of 208 cases studied had vitamin E deficiency. Of these, four out of five stroke patients had vitamin E deficiency.. (38).