Five in six Kenyans seeking treatment for mental health conditions lack access to psychiatrists, Psychologist and Mental Wellness Counselor Jane Kiruthi has said.
Psychiatry is the branch of medicine focused on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental, emotional and behavioural disorders.
According to Dr Kiruthi from Kenol Hospital in Murang'a County, Kenya has only about 62 psychiatrists, who are distributed across the 47 devolved units.
Dr Kiruthi further says the sessions are however not affordable to the majority of Kenyans since each session costs between Sh2,500 and Sh3,000, with some high-end facilities charging up to Sh5,000 per session.
"Majority of Kenyans are unable to undergo treatment for the mental health conditions since the majority are low-income earners. Those who can access treatment are high-income earners or civil servants," said Kiruthi.
Kiruthi said since Covid-19 hit the country, the cases of mental health have been on the rise, and the situation has been exacerbated by a lack of adequate professionals to deal with the condition.
"At some point in their lives, 25 per cent of Kenyans get a mental breakdown. That is one in every four Kenyans," added Kiruthi.
Kiruthi said that there are remedies for the treatment of mental health conditions, among them, encouraging the patients to open up about their problems and seeking professional help from the right channels.
She emphasized the need for creating awareness so that those affected can get the required assistance at the right time.
"Creating awareness can also be of great significance in ensuring that we curb mental health illnesses since stigma has been prevalent in the society," said Kiruthi.
WHO report of 2014 indicates that Kenya was ranked at the fourth position in Africa with 1.9 million people having a mental illness.
According to the mental health policy 2015-2030, Kenya is among the 28 per cent of World Health Organization member states countries that do not have a separate budget for mental health.
Kitui County Health department has been seeking for Sh50 million budgetary allocations to set up trauma and psychiatric centre.
The centre is aimed at catering for the increasing numbers of people suffering from mental illness.
In a statement on February 25, 2022, the Kitui County Health executive Winnie Kitetu said due to difficulties occasioned by Covid-19, as well as social media influence, many people were slipping into depression.
"Dealing with socio-economical changes can lead to mental health problems," said Kitetu.
In July 2021, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said Kenya recorded nearly 500 suicide cases in three months.
DCI boss George Kinoti said at least 483 people committed suicide between April and June 2021, with Kiambu topping the list of counties with the highest numbers at 109 cases.
The youngest person reported to have taken their life was nine years while the oldest was 76 years old.
A statement made by WHO on May 23, 2021, indicates that the team leading an investment case described how mental health conditions not only contribute to health care costs but are a significant socio-economic drain to individuals, families and communities.
“Health is wealth and there is no health without mental health,” Dr Rashid Aman, Health Chief Administrative Secretary, said.
In May 2021, a task force tasked by WHO to review data on mental health conditions in Kenya concluded that the scale of the problem required urgent attention.
According to WHO, over 100 experts joined a discussion to kickstart the latest mental health investment case – this time in Kenya. The multistakeholder event hosted by the Ministry of Health was held on May 17, 2021.
The task force found that a staggering 1 out of 4 persons who seek healthcare in Kenya have a mental health condition.
"Depression is common and there are increasing rates of substance and alcohol use disorders. While the country does not currently have a specific budget for mental health, the good news is that Kenya established a Mental Health Taskforce last year and has recently implemented some reforms to improve care for those with mental health conditions," the team concluded.
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