May is Mental Health Awareness Month. According to the World Health Organization {WHO} around 450 million people suffer from Mental illness, making mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health worldwide.
The sad part is much as treatment is available, WHO estimates that nearly two thirds of people with a known mental disorder will never seek help from a professional due to the stigma and in extreme cases discrimination associated with mental disorders. Even more unfortunate is that more than 40% of countries have no mental health policy and over 30% have no mental health programme while about 25% have no mental legislation. These statistics paint a very grim picture of the state of mental health wellness but I'm glad the WHO is working extra to sensitize governments on the need to prioritize it.
The Mental Health Awareness Month was started in the United States in 1949 by the Mental Health America Organization with the aim of raising awareness and educating the public about mental illnesses and strategies for attaining mental health and wellness. Since the beginning of May I have been meaning to do a post in relation to Mental Health Matters but I have been unable to do so because I felt like I just didn't have the right words. Mental Health Wellness is a cause that is close to my heart and is as heavy a topic of discussion as can be so I kept drafting and deleting, looking for the right way to put across what I wanted and before I knew it, loh & behold time had flown by and the end of May is here. Better late than never yah. Since I still haven't found the perfect words, I will just write from my heart ❤❤❤❤❤
There are various types of Mental Disorders but I want to focus on Depression. Depressive disorders are the fourth leading cause of the global disease burden and unfortunately they are expected to rank second by 2020. Depression affects us all - you may be going/have gone through depression or you may have a friend/family member/colleague who's going/gone through depression. I've been down this road on either sides - I've gone through a depressive phase and I've had loved ones who have been in a depressive phase.
Depression is a dark hole that I wouldn't wish even my worst enemy to fall into. There's a lot of information on the causes/symptoms/treatment for it so I will not be delving into that. I will also not go into the statistics of damage that depression causes as it is heart breaking. I want to share some of the do's/don'ts when dealing with depression. I hope that I can help someone either going through depression or having a friend/family member going through depression. This is purely from personal experience. It may not be stuff that is by the book but experience is the best teacher ain't it .
It's Ok Not To Be Ok - Somehow a tongue twister hey! But I'm sure you get the drift. If you are in a depressive state, please know that it's ok. Don't beat yourself up. It is neither a crime nor is it a bad thing. It is simply a season that you are going through which you have to purpose to fight and emerge stronger and healthier. The faster you realize and accept the fact that you may be heading down a dark path, the easier it is for you to seek help.
Seek Help - Your mental health needs just as much attention as your physical health. Don't ignore the sad & hopeless feelings wishing they would go away and sweep them under the carpet. The more you delay to seek help, the worse your condition becomes. Reach out to a professional and get the help you need. There are some cases which may require medication to deal with but in other cases, sessions with a therapist can have you back on the road to recovery. There are various avenues you could seek help from. Being in Nairobi, Kenya I highly recommend the following:
The sad part is much as treatment is available, WHO estimates that nearly two thirds of people with a known mental disorder will never seek help from a professional due to the stigma and in extreme cases discrimination associated with mental disorders. Even more unfortunate is that more than 40% of countries have no mental health policy and over 30% have no mental health programme while about 25% have no mental legislation. These statistics paint a very grim picture of the state of mental health wellness but I'm glad the WHO is working extra to sensitize governments on the need to prioritize it.
The Mental Health Awareness Month was started in the United States in 1949 by the Mental Health America Organization with the aim of raising awareness and educating the public about mental illnesses and strategies for attaining mental health and wellness. Since the beginning of May I have been meaning to do a post in relation to Mental Health Matters but I have been unable to do so because I felt like I just didn't have the right words. Mental Health Wellness is a cause that is close to my heart and is as heavy a topic of discussion as can be so I kept drafting and deleting, looking for the right way to put across what I wanted and before I knew it, loh & behold time had flown by and the end of May is here. Better late than never yah. Since I still haven't found the perfect words, I will just write from my heart ❤❤❤❤❤
There are various types of Mental Disorders but I want to focus on Depression. Depressive disorders are the fourth leading cause of the global disease burden and unfortunately they are expected to rank second by 2020. Depression affects us all - you may be going/have gone through depression or you may have a friend/family member/colleague who's going/gone through depression. I've been down this road on either sides - I've gone through a depressive phase and I've had loved ones who have been in a depressive phase.
Depression is a dark hole that I wouldn't wish even my worst enemy to fall into. There's a lot of information on the causes/symptoms/treatment for it so I will not be delving into that. I will also not go into the statistics of damage that depression causes as it is heart breaking. I want to share some of the do's/don'ts when dealing with depression. I hope that I can help someone either going through depression or having a friend/family member going through depression. This is purely from personal experience. It may not be stuff that is by the book but experience is the best teacher ain't it .
It's Ok Not To Be Ok - Somehow a tongue twister hey! But I'm sure you get the drift. If you are in a depressive state, please know that it's ok. Don't beat yourself up. It is neither a crime nor is it a bad thing. It is simply a season that you are going through which you have to purpose to fight and emerge stronger and healthier. The faster you realize and accept the fact that you may be heading down a dark path, the easier it is for you to seek help.
Seek Help - Your mental health needs just as much attention as your physical health. Don't ignore the sad & hopeless feelings wishing they would go away and sweep them under the carpet. The more you delay to seek help, the worse your condition becomes. Reach out to a professional and get the help you need. There are some cases which may require medication to deal with but in other cases, sessions with a therapist can have you back on the road to recovery. There are various avenues you could seek help from. Being in Nairobi, Kenya I highly recommend the following:
- Niskize - this is a 24 hour telephone counselling helpline run by professional counselors and you will definitely get all the help you want.
- Kenya Red Cross - it offers a free 24 hour toll free number where you could call and get help.
- CITAM - has counselors on call. You could reach out through any of the assemblies and get the help you need.