Mental health: Understanding mental illness

Mental health: Gist of mental illness (Photo: iStock)

To many people, mental illness is only when one loses their mental and behavioural organisation. 

This has led to the common labelling as being ‘mad’, and the purported causes include, witchcraft, evil spirits and curses, leading to the prevalent myths, misconceptions and stigma around the same.

This has negatively influenced the seeking behaviour of patients with mental illnesses, leading to late diagnosis and treatment.

In reality, we have over 300 documented mental health illnesses according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders volume 5, and a majority are prevalent in our set-up even though lack of sufficient human resources for mental health leads to wrong or missed diagnoses.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community.

WHO, also defines mental illness as a health condition characterised by significant disturbances in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour.

This can lead to distress or impairment in functioning, encompassing a wide range of disorders impacting how individuals think, act, and affect their daily activities and interpersonal relationships.

The origins of mental illnesses are complex and involve combinations of biological, psychological and environmental factors and they are broadly categorized as being either mental, neurological or substance use disorders.

Taking the conversation forward

The mental health subject is gaining momentum in Kenyan conversations.  The public discourse was launched on the same by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, when he set up the Kenya Mental Health Task Force on the 21st of November 2019.

The mental health task force mandate was to, evaluate the mental health landscape, conduct hearings from the public to gather input from citizens on mental health challenges and solutions, highlight areas needing reforms to improve access to a better quality of care and propose measures to declare mental health a national emergency.

The task force engaged the public and professionals across the country and embarked on writing a report that painted a dire picture of the state of Kenyans' mental health.

Since then the wheels albeit slowly have kept turning and we are moving towards the right direction.

First, there has been the signing into law of the Amended Mental Health Act, on 21st June 2022, and the subsequent establishment of the Counsellors and Psychologists Board on 5th August 2022.

Whereas the Mental Health Act aims to enhance mental healthcare in Kenya by providing comprehensive provisions for the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of mental health conditions, the Counsellor and Psychologists Board's roles include regulating the practice.

It sets by setting educational and professional standards for training and practice, as well as registration, licensing and policy advice to the government and other stakeholders.

Together with the other boards in the health ministry there is renewed hope that together we can turn the tide against the upsurge of mental illnesses in the country.

 The author is a licensed psychologist and psychiatric clinical officer