Changing the Depression Outcome

By Phoebe Mwangi

Every year, Kenya has about 7000 suicides linked to depression and the number is on the rise. An estimated 350 million people are affected by depression, globally and Africa is home to 14 out of the 21 saddest countries including; Mali, Senegal, Tanzania, Rwanda, Cameroon, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Central African Republic.

The United Nation’s World Mental Health Day is set to be celebrated on 10th October 2019. That day is set aside to raise public awareness about mental health issues worldwide. Of interest specifically, is depression as a type of mental illness ailing people globally.

Mental illness in Kenya has increasingly become a topical issue in urban areas due to access of information and global incidents such as celebrity suicides. In the rural areas however, there is more engagement initiatives required to sensitize families. The practice of locking up loved ones to avoid embarrassment or seeking divine intervention to fight what is believed to be a bewitching incident continues.  This consideration for campaigns is against the backdrop of the reality that Kenya spends only about 0.05% of its health budget on mental health. About 70% of mental health facilities in the country are in the capital, Nairobi making it harder for citizens in the rural areas to access these facilities.

Depression is easily mistaken for sadness or just being moody.  It is alarming that young people are going through depression every day and we do not know. Attributing the sadness and low moods to the current state of the country – harsh economy, corruption and stealing or the state of the personal issues someone is going through. With people stating every day that they are depressed, it is a cause for alarm even though some may not be. In an interview with my peers, all of them noted that they were depressed at some point in their lives. They could all identify with the symptoms; loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed, inability to carry out daily duties, indecisiveness, restlessness, loss of energy, sleep problems, hopelessness and feelings of worthlessness. One of them even stated that they went through treatment. Youth in Kenya report being depressed nearly all the time to the point of giving up.

The disease affects 10.2 percent of young males and 6.9 percent of young females in Kenya. Depression is a high-risk factor and a mental disease that is affecting more and more young people in Kenya every day. Due to the living conditions and poor living standards more and more people are falling prey to this. Important to note is that most of them do not comprehend that they are going through depression, which eventually leads to suicide. Depression is a problem in Kenya and should be treated as one otherwise the continent seeks to lose a lot of their youth to the disease. It is becoming a prevalent phenomenon and we need to something about it before it plagues the youth in the country.

Depression is a persistent problem, not a passing one, lasting on average 6 to 8 months. With numbers rising every day, people need to be more aware of the dangers that come with depression like suicide and addiction to various types of drugs as a coping mechanism. The government should also conduct public awareness on mental health to better equip people especially the young people.