Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top

Kenya

The sad tale of depression and why it’s taking many lives

Depression can greatly affect someone’s thoughts, feelings, behavior and physical well-being–Experts.

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 22- It all started four years ago when her first born daughter passed on.

The mother of two was traumatized by the death of her daughter and she never healed from the pain, according to relatives and friends who spoke to Capital FM News.

Things have been thick for her, being unemployed and her relationship seemingly not working.

On Thursday, May 18, the lady hired a room in one of the ‘Guest Houses’ in Ahero town, Kisumu County, accompanied by her son, and they were to spend the night there.

On that night, she decided to add some poisonous substance in the food they were taking with her son.

“On Friday (May 19), they could not wake up due to the effects of the poisonous substance they had swallowed and were rushed to the hospital. The son was taken to the Intensive Care Unit while the lady stabilized, “one of her close relative, who did not want to be named said, while insisting that “the story should be shared for people out there to be helped.

“She was financially strained and largely depended on us (family members) to survive,” she said.
But the 30 years old woman was determined to die and even after being stabilized, she jumped off from the 5th floor of the hospital block and died instantly.

Her son, who was in class 4 passed on hours later while undergoing treatment.

Police have recorded tens of similar cases linked to depression, a situation that has been worsened by the high cost of living.

-Depression-

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Capital FM News sought to know the effects of depression and how the condition can be reversed.
According to Nairobi hospital medics, depression can greatly affect someone’s thoughts, feelings, behavior and physical well-being.

Depressed people usually have a sad mood that does not go away, loss of interest and lack of energy.

Other symptoms could be excessive guilt, loss of confidence, poor concentration, sleep disturbance, change in appetite, suicidal thoughts among others.

So serious is the situation globally, that World Health Day, celebrated on the 7th of April earmarked depression as the theme for 2017.

The theme is ‘Let’s talk’. If one is undergoing a sad and upsetting time, talking therapy can help them deal with it.
Depression affects people of all ages and from all walks of life.

It causes mental anguish and impacts on people’s ability to carry out even the simplest everyday tasks, with sometimes devastating consequences for relationships with family and friends and even the ability to earn a living.

The good news is that depression can be prevented and treated. A better understanding of what depression is, and how it can be prevented and treated, will help reduce the stigma associated with the condition and lead to more people seeking help.

Psychiatrist and mental health advocate Chitayi Murabula says cases of depression are on the rise globally with the numbers going up by 18pc between 2005 and now.

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, accounting for 10 per cent of all years lived with disability globally and is a major contributor to the overall Global burden of disease (4.3pc of the global burden of disease).

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300 million people globally are now living with depression.
At its worst, depression can lead to suicide, with latest statistics showing that 800,000 people die due to suicide every year.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people between the ages of 15-29.
“It’s worth noting that 75pc of the 800,000 people who die annually as a result of suicide come from lower and middle-income countries,” said Dr. Murabula.

In Kenya, WHO estimates that at least two million people (4.4 per cent) suffer from depression as the country is ranked 6th with the highest number of depression cases among African countries.
– Depression is an illness-

Depression is an illness characterized by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities that you normally enjoy, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily activities, for at least two weeks.

It can happen to anybody.

It causes mental anguish and impacts on people’s ability to carry out even the simplest everyday tasks, with sometimes devastating consequences for relationships with family and friends and the ability to earn a living.

At worst, it can lead to suicide which is now the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year olds.

A better understanding of what depression is, and how it can be prevented and treated, will help reduce the stigma associated with the condition and lead to more people seeking help.

About The Author

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News