Living With Depression In Kenya

Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allan Poe, Isaac Newton, Friedrich Nietzsche, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, J. K. Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, Virginia Woolf, John Stuart Mill, Michelangelo, Martin Luther, Angelina Jolie, Ernest Hemingway, Lupe Fiasco, Michel Foucault, T. S. Eliot and Jon Bon Jovi...

What do all the above people have in common?At some point in their lives, they have suffered from clinical depression. 

This post was inspired by the clip bellow from a Kenyan Television Chanel  

While watching the clip made me glad that our Kenyan society is breaking down the barriers of secrecy surrounding mental illness and actually talking about the subject openly, the clip exposed some deeply misguided attitudes and misconceptions regarding mental illness. The misguided notion that depressed people are maladapted does more harm than good. It shames the victims, promotes stigma and perpetuates a secrecy that might prevent patient from seeking medical help or even seeking support from their their friends and family. As long as depression is seen as a personal failure, the stigma continues. 

I would like to thank the brave souls, in the clip, who discuss their struggles with mental illness.  Thank you for coming forward to talk about how the prejudices you have faced have negatively affected your lives. A wise friend once told me that people empathize with what they understand. I hope your strength in educating those around you will spur compassion, understanding and perhaps even lead to more support towards people grappling with mental illness. Thank you for discussing the prohibitive costs of seeking treatment. It is my sincere hope that some day mental health services, a fundamental part of wellness, will be accessible to all Kenyans regardless of social class. 

 Instead of a positive focus on living positively with depression, the clip heavily centers on the negatives of living with depression. Perhaps an exploration of the positive things the patients have done with their lives would have been more effective in giving hope to other depressed individuals that depression can be effectively managed. I would have liked to see the patients discuss their careers, family life, wellness regiment and tips they could give others grappling with depression. 

I want to reach out to anybody who has unfortunately struggled with depression, especially in an environment of stigma. You are not alone. Do not let other people's judgments prevent you from seeking help and pursuing your own wellness. You are strong, beautiful and brave.  

Do not let depression stop you from pursuing you dreams or being the person who want to be. I hope you get the courage to seek help and when the help is offered follow your wellness routine consistently-Good luck.  You can live with depression positively and do great things. You don't believe me?  I hope the following brilliant minds and beautiful spirits inspire you to explore your fullest potential and maintain your journey towards mental health...

Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain was one of the "Big Three" (Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin) to lead the world in it defeat of Hitler in WWII. He told in his own writings of suffering from "black dog," Churchill's term for severe and serious depression.

 

Patty Duke The Academy Award-winning actress told of her bipolar disorder in her autobiography and made-for-TV movie Call Me Anna and A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic-Depressive Illness, co-authored by Gloria Hochman.

 

Linda Hamilton has gone public regarding her bipolar disorder, diagnosed at a young age. Hamilton, well known for her part with Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator movies, explains how helpful medication has been and that she understands she will have to be on medication for the rest of her life.

 

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, suffered from severe and debilitating bouts of depression, which were described by Carl Sandburg in his biographical analysis of his life. Lincoln once wrote in a letter to a friend, "A tendency to melancholy…let it be observed, is a misfortune not a fault."

 

Isaac Newton , the most famous mathematician of the 17th Century, suffered from several “nervous breakdowns” and was known for great fits of rage towards anyone who disagreed with him. Some people suspect that he had Bipolar Disorder, which was unknown at the time.

 

Jimmy Piersall The baseball player for the Boston Red Sox who suffered from bipolar disorder detailed his experience in The Truth Hurts.

 

Brooke Shields talked about her disabling Post Partum Depression in her book Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. She was able to gain a significant improvement in her mood through medication and the help of a skilled nurse who recognized her problem and encouraged her to get help.

 

Vincent Van Gogh, famous painter and artist was labeled peculiar with unstable moods most of his short life. Many people have tried to give a definitive diagnosis of his illness through reading his personal letters. It seems clear that his depressive states were also accompanied by manic episodes of enormous energy and great passion. Van Gogh committed suicide at age 37.

 

Ludwig Von Beethoven, composer, had bipolar disorder and wrote his most famous works during times of torment, loneliness and suffering psychotic delusions. He medicated himself with the only drugs available in that day to bring some relief – opium and alcohol – and died of liver disease.

Jane Pauley, A familiar presence on NBC for over twenty-seven years, Jane Pauley is one of the most recognizable newswomen in America today. Until the release of her book, “Skywriting,” people did not realize that she had accomplished so much while suffering from bipolar disorder, a common and serious mental illness. Click here for information and photos from the 2006 Real Stories, Real Recoveries event.

 

Terry Bradshaw, the winner of four super bowls and a successful sportscaster, writer, singer, and actor, was diagnosed with depression seven years ago and has used a combination of positive thinking, therapy and medications to overcome the illness. Read more about this NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback's battle with depression and the 2007 Real Stories, Real Recoveries program

 

Bellow are some non-profit resources and subsidized clinics, in Kenya, that you can seek help from...

1. Basic Needs.Basic Rights

http://www.basicneeds.org/kenya/index.asp

  2. According to WHO, since 2005 the Kenyan health ministry has been conducting a training program to enable primary care workers to provide mental health care. While this might be a place to seek help from, I would recommend going to a few primary care workers to determine the right one for you. Trust your instincts and allow yourself to be supported by your loved ones in this decision. Once you find a primary care worker that works for you, stick with the program.  Unfortunately I have personally heard pretty negative things about primary care workers providing mental health services. Go with an open mind and recognize that you are there to get better and nothing, not even an unempathetic doctor or nurse is going to stand in your way of seeking wellness.  Unfortunately I can understand where the negative feed back might come from since with the overcrowding in Kenyan hospitals, doctors do not have the adequate time to spend with a patient, listen and fully understand the patients condition.

3. http://knh.or.ke/ 

 

4. In cases of psychiatric conditions caused by gender violence or abuse, the Nairobi Women's Hospital has a non-profit organization "The Gender Violence Recovery Centre (GVRC) that offers support to women who have experienced domestic violence, rape and other forms of abuse. The personnel here might ask extremely intrusive questions in ways that seem unsympathetic but please keep in mind that you are here to seek help, it is better to get help even if you will be embarrassed and intimidated in the process than not to get any help at all.  Try to answer the questions as precisely and respectfully as possible. I hope you receive the help that you need.  It is unfortunate that when women are abused, they are also tasked with the burden of proof whether or not they intend to press charges... I look forward to a time when a woman's word regarding abuse will be taken seriously and they will be offered the help they need, to achieve recovery,  and treated with respect, empathy and kindness before first being coaxed to go public. Going public is an incredibly personal decision that nobody should ever be forced into or coaxed into...

3.

http://www.aidforafrica.org/member-charities/africa-infectious-disease-village-clinics/

 I have heard great things about this clinic from people who have received treatment from this center and would in fact rate it among the top centers to receive treatment from with dignity, empathy, understanding and privacy. 

 

 

On special note, heaps of gratitude to My Kajose, Kiperipera, Oltetian, Lee, Mackie-a.k.a partner and my Champs...Love you to the moon and back :)