Newfangled measures should be implemented to curb mental health condition
Mental Health
By: Veromelody Ojowi
Worth Noting:
- Depression and anxiety being top mental health disorders have caused devastating effects to million of people around the world Kenya no exceptional and teenagers as said earlier are more vulnerable. According to WHO, one person die every 40 seconds by suicide and Covid-19 pandemic which caught nations unaware created a further impact on people’s mental health.
- Adolescent who are vulnerable to mental health condition can have immediate and long-term effects on their health and social wellbeing this according to WHO .They are more likely to take drugs, get pregnant while young, drop out of school and even engage in risky behavior .This is majorly caused by helplessness, bullying they face, isolation from families, pressure from studies sometimes and love triangles in addition.
It disturbs a lot when we still record patterns of mental health conditions among people. Despite nations raising awareness of mental health issues around the world annually on 10th October it’s still an area of massive concern Kenya no exception.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), mental health include several areas ranging from one’s social, emotional and psychological wellbeing. Mental health problems and mental disorders are common health problems among adolescents and are leading cause of disability among them ,according to National Mental Health Survey published by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), University of Queensland and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Having poor mental health one is likely to suffer from a mental health disorder that includes, depression, conduct disorder, ,post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), attention deficit anxiety and social phobia the survey exposes .Depression is the most common mental illness globally affecting more than 1.9 million people in Kenya alone .WHO together with World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH) exposes that, close to 1 billion people around the world are living with mental disorder.
In Kenya 1 out of 4 persons who seek healthcare has mental condition this is according to World Health Organization and Ministry of Health. This means 11.5 Kenyans suffer from mental health men suffering more as compared to their female counterparts. It heartbreaking when mental health topic is still stigmatized- cannot be freely discussed in this era. Few people talk about it and if discussed they don’t navigate deeply into it .This is not a topic of stigmatization every stakeholder should learn this.
Depression and anxiety being top mental health disorders have caused devastating effects to million of people around the world Kenya no exceptional and teenagers as said earlier are more vulnerable. According to WHO, one person die every 40 seconds by suicide and Covid-19 pandemic which caught nations unaware created a further impact on people’s mental health.
Adolescent who are vulnerable to mental health condition can have immediate and long-term effects on their health and social wellbeing this according to WHO .They are more likely to take drugs, get pregnant while young, drop out of school and even engage in risky behavior .This is majorly caused by helplessness, bullying they face, isolation from families, pressure from studies sometimes and love triangles in addition.
It is time ripe for all concerned stakeholders starting from Ruto government, health care providers’ counsellors, and ministry of health, mental health organizations and other concerned stakeholders to tackle mental health condition. Government and ministry of health should take this problem into their hands and work to protect the rights of individuals with mental health disorder in variety of settings such as workplace, schools and in health facilities.
Ruto government should be committed to pump enough funds that can be used to care mental ill-health patients. To those suffering mental condition are advised to open up especially men since from research they hardly share their experiences as compared to women. Government should employ enough trained health care providers and counselors for patients to access quality mental health services. In 2016, Kenya had less than 500 trained mental health professionals compromising 100 psychiatrists, mostly based in Nairobi and 12 neurologists mainly working in private hospitals in urban settings.
Modern society should discuss this topic openly and frequently so as to curb this menace which is almost creating a permanent problem. It should be well understood that, when we have potential mental health we are able to handle stress, our productivity remains stable and we realize our full potential. Above all , good mental health is essential for good health therefore we must take our mental health as well as physical health.
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