By Mike Mwaniki
Health experts have challenged journalists to create awareness on the increased cases of mental illness in a bid to mobilise efforts in destigmatising the disease.
African Mental Health Foundation Founding Director Prof David Ndetei said journalists had a key role to play in assisting society not to stigmatise those suffering from mental health illness.
Prof Ndetei, who was accompanied by the Foundation’s Clinical psychologist, Dr Frida Kameti urged journalists to report as objectively on mental health issues.
“It is also important to ensure that those suffering from mental health problems are listened to without criticising them. Currently, conditions such as depression are common even among young people due to emotional, substance and alcohol abuse among others ,” Prof Ndetei noted.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a report titled ‘Young people and mental health in a changing world’ released during last year’s World Mental Health Day held on 0ctober 10 warned that half of mental illness begins by the age of 14, but most cases go undetected and untreated.
In terms of burden of the disease among adolescents, depression is the third leading cause while suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds.
Harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs, the WHO noted, is a major issue in many countries and can lead to risky behaviours such as unsafe sex or dangerous driving.
At the same time, eating disorders are also of concern.
Earlier, Prof Ndetei—who is a pioneer psychiatrist in Kenya—said his Foundation was working closely with traditional healers at the grassroots to address stigma associated with mental health issues.
“We have found out that if traditional healers are properly empowered—through training—they are able to effectively supplement efforts by psychiatrists and other healthcare givers in the management of depression and other mental conditions,” the AMHF founding director added.
The Foundation, Prof Ndetei observed, undertakes evidence-based research on mental health which is recognised internationally.
At the same time, the Foundation also treats those afflicted by mental health illness at their Nairobi’s Upper Hill area based organisation and also works with other hospitals in managing those suffering from the diseases.
On her part, Dr Kameti noted that currently, there were 300 different types of mental illness and there was need to demystify the existing myths on the diseases to enable those suffering from the diseases to seek treatment.
“There is need to introduce mental health in our school curriculum while employers should strive to introduce workplace policies on how the diseases are managed similar to what we did with HIV/Aids. No employee should be penalised or discriminated against for suffering from the mental health illness,” she said.
At the same time, Dr Kameti encouraged insurance companies to consider increasing the amount of money allocated to mental health cover.
A person living with unspecified bipolar, Ms Noella Luka identified medication and counseling services as crucial in the treatment of those afflicted by mental illness.
“There is also need for families and support groups to lend their hand by empathising and understanding their kin who might be afflicted by mental health illness…
“It is a misconception to refer to people suffering from mental health problems as ‘mad people’ since the condition can afflict anyone. We need to demystify mental health illness,” Ms Luka noted.
Kenya STEPwise Survey for Non Communicable Diseases Risk Factors (2015) report said mental disorders are an important cause of morbidity and contribute to the global burden of NCDs.
“Their control requires therefore equitable access to effective programmes and health care services.”
At the same time, the report notes that mental disorders also affect—and are affected by other NCDs, they can be a precursor or consequence of a NCD, or the result of interactive effects.
“For example, there is evidence to suggest that depression predisposes people to heart attacks and conversely, heart attacks increase the likelihood of depression. The same appears for diabetes, where the association of depression to diabetes appears stronger than the inverse.”
According to the report, depression is associated with severe obesity, physical inactivity and poor self-care, all risks factors for diabetes, and studies suggest long-term use of antidepressants increases the risks of diabetes by almost two-fold.
Despite these strong connections, mental disorders in patients with NCDs as well as NCDs in patients with mental disorders have not received the attention they deserve.
“Mental disorders share common risk factors with other NCDs such as sedentary behaviour and harmful use of alcohol and are more common among the economically underprivileged population segments such as those with lower educational level,” the report notes.
