Rise of mental disorders among youth alarming
Mental health can range from mild situations such as stress to bipolar disorders, which are more severe.
The sad reality of what has happened in Kenya within the past two years is that the number of youths affected by mental health and substance use disorders is increasingly becoming a cause for alarm, a crisis that may eventually change the fortunes of an entire generation.
With everything above considered, it would seem that if Kenya is to protect its most vulnerable citizens, that is, the youth, the country has to institute hard-hitting actions against the root causes of either mental health challenges or the budding substance abuse epidemic.
It has now reached a point where the situation has become a catch-22, where psychiatric problems and substance use disorders feed into one another. Now, youth have been taking any kind of substance to deal with underlying mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and so many others. On the other hand, substance abuse can aggravate those conditions, which might become catastrophic.
Several studies have shown that a huge proportion of the youth in Kenya either feel hopeless or anxious; feelings stirred mainly by unemployment, academic pressures, family conflicts, and socio-economic challenges. Besides, due to the very limited access to mental health services and stigmatisation, most youths usually end up turning to the use of substances to dampen their feelings.
Another socioeconomic factor identified as one of the causes that make the youth in Kenya easily give in to poor mental health and drug abuse is unemployment. According to the estimation by the World Bank, more than 35% of Kenyan youths are without jobs. Therein, frustration is building as some lack employment opportunities; thus, leaving many victims dealing with depression and anxiety.
Idle youths
Substances of abuse have mostly been used by idle youths of late as some sort of relief in the informal settlements and rural areas to help them escape those bitter realities. Specifically, alcohol is one of the highly abused substances because it is relatively cheaper and socially accepted. This continuous use leads to addiction and consequently adverse effects on the user's brain, leading to deteriorating mental health.
All this was further complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic laden with feelings of uncertainty, isolation, and economic tension. Many people lost their jobs, and some had to stay out of school during the lockdowns — all those things surged the feelings of hopelessness and despair.
Substance use among Kenyan youth and resultant mental health problems can no longer be swept under the carpet. Besides being a health problem, substance use is also a social and economic issue. The gravitation toward root causes, expanding access to care, and fostering a more supportive environment are sure ways Kenya can protect the mental health of its young people and reduce the scourge of substance abuse.
One of the main barriers to the treatment that the youth so much require in mental health and drug use disorders is stigma. The mindset of many people holds that disorders of the mind are weaknesses or individual failures, so most youths will not seek treatment for such disorders. Additionally, most communities have left mental health as a stigmatized aspect, where persons who are experiencing such illness are often stereotyped as being "mad" or "bewitched." The matter gets even worse in issues of substance use disorder whereby persons are criminalized or regarded as delinquents and not people who require care.
According to the Ministry of Health, there are only an estimated 100 psychiatrists and 500 psychologists in Kenya compared to a population of over 50 million people. A ratio that shows the extent of the crisis. Moreover, the absolute scarcity of professionals along with the few public mental health facilities has left the youth exposed.
Depression
Social media is both a contributing factor and a mitigant in the pressures of this digitised era that surround poor mental health and substance use among the youth. Perhaps it is through social media that youngsters get pressured to live up to the standards that the world has defined regarding success, beauty, and happiness. The same platform throws many Kenyan youths into a depression of inadequacy and anxiety due to constant comparisons with those faultless personas online. For some, substance use is an outlet.
Meanwhile, social media can also serve as an incubator of injurious content, where drug use is glorified and alcohol consumption normalised fairly well through influential persons or celebrities commanding large followings amongst young audiences.
Therefore, how can the Kenyan youth be helped? Widening access to affordable mental health services would be most appropriate: investing in full mental health infrastructure, training more professionals, and making them accessible in rural areas. Conversely, schools should be more engaged in mental health education and counselling since most of these problems start to manifest at such tender ages.
Substance use among Kenyan youth and resultant mental health problems can no longer be swept under the carpet. Besides being a health problem, substance use is also a social and economic issue, and indeed a threat to the very foundation of the nation's future.
The gravitation toward root causes, expanding access to care, and fostering a more supportive environment are sure ways Kenya can protect the mental health of its young people and reduce the scourge of substance abuse.
Simon Mwangi, Deputy Director, Corporate Communications, Nacada
