Why half of Mathari hospital patients are under 30 years

Drug addiction accounts for about half of the patients with mental illness at the Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital.

According to a study presented during the 12th Kenya Medical Research Institute Annual Scientific and Health Conference, substance use disorder in adults aged between 20 and 29 was the common diagnosis.

The study analysed records of 300 patients to extract data on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of persons living with mental illness from January to December 2020 at the hospital.

From the findings, youths aged between 20 and 29 contributed 123 (about 41 per cent) cases, with males being 204 (about 68 per cent).

Of these, substance use disorder was reported in 92 cases (about 33 per cent). There were 22 (about seven per cent) hospitalised cases, while 277 (92 per cent) were outpatient.

Out of the number reviewed, 105 (35 per cent) were unemployed while 181 (61 per cent) were single.

Abused drugs not named

Some 113 (about 39 per cent) had a secondary school certificate, while 95 (about 33 per cent) had completed tertiary education. However, the study did not name the abused drugs but recommended health promotion among adolescents and young populations on the dangers of substance abuse.

“We analysed the data and, when looking at the records in the outpatient department, the names of the drugs were not mentioned though the diagnosis is done as the use of drugs,” says Dr Jane Muriuki, one of the authors.

The study indicates that mental health is a key determinant of health and socio-economic development. “Every one in four people who seek healthcare in Kenya has a mental health condition. The Covid-19 pandemic has reportedly worsened this burden,” states the study.

In Kenya, one in four people is likely to suffer from a mental disorder at some point in their lives. Five in six Kenyans do not receive treatment, partly because the country has only 62 psychiatrists serving 47 million people, according to the Mental Health Policy 2015-2030.

The policy highlighted that combination of mental and substance abuse disorders among children and the youth is the sixth leading cause of years lost due to ill-health, disability, or early death.

It accounts for six per cent of the total disease burden in this age-group and contributes to a quarter of disabilities in young people aged between 10 and 24 worldwide.

Massive disability

“Young people are the majority of those bearing the brunt of the global burden of mental ill-health with the increase causing massive disability,” states the policy. A team of 28 global experts assembled by the Lancet medical journal has observed that mental disorders are on the rise in every country.

“The dramatic increase in mental problems is partly due to rapid changes in population demographics like the significant increase in the number of children who grow into youths,” states the Lancet Commission’s joint lead editor, Prof Vikram Patel of Harvard Medical School.

Globally, one in seven teenagers experiences a mental disorder, accounting for about 13 per cent of the global burden of disease.

“Depression, anxiety, and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.”

“Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15 to 19-year-olds,” states the World Health Organisation.

The consequences of failing to address adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood. They then impair both physical and mental health and limit opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.