Vitamin deficiencies are associated with psychiatric diseases both as a primary cause and as an aggravating factor. Psychiatric symptoms could also lead to poor nutrition. Vitamin deficiencies may play a role in compromising patient recovery. Vitamins are organic substances essential for various enzymatic functions. There are 13 known vitamins that are fat-soluble (4 vitamins, e.g. KEDA) or water-soluble (9 vitamins, e.g. C, and group B). Regarding brain function, B vitamins are essential for maintaining myelin, neurotransmitter production and the methylation cycle. Fat-soluble vitamins are necessary in inflammatory regulation, antioxidant regeneration and genetic modification. Few studies on vitamin deficiencies have been conducted 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 within both the citric acid cycle and the transketolase enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway. Severe B1 deficiency that may result from chronic alcoholism, diabetes, or malnutrition is usually associated with Wernicke encephalopathy (WE). WE, characterized clinically by confusion, ataxia, and nystagmus, is an acute neuropsychiatric disorder that occurs due to an inadequate supply of thiamine to the brain. The confusion and disorientation results from the brain's inability to oxidize glucose for energy because vitamin B1 is a crucial cofactor in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle. The deficiency leads to an increase in oxygen free radicals, cytokines and an alteration of blood enzymes–b……middle of paper……nt. Neuronal membranes are protected from oxidation by vitamin E, thus reducing brain inflammation. Tocotrienols are believed to mediate disease by modifying transcription factors in the brain, such as glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase (35). Depression has been associated with low plasma levels of vitamin E, although other factors excluding dietary intake have been taken into account (36). Ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (AVED) is a rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease occurring in North Africa (37). Its early identification is essential to initiate therapeutic and prophylactic vitamin E supplementation before irreversible damage develops. In Uganda, 63 (30.3%) of the 208 cases studied showed vitamin E deficiency. Among these, four out of five patients with cerebrovascular accidents had vitamin E deficiency (38).