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An Experience with Bipolar I Disorder, a Mental Illness

As a first-degree bipolar youth and a mental health enthusiast, I come open to the public as a victim of the illness for purpose of creating awareness and helping vulnerable people to manage and curb the condition respectively. A descriptive word for Bipolar Disorder is a chronic condition characterized by different episodes of mood swings that may vary from depressive lows to extreme manic highs. As a victim, I experienced my first manic condition at the age of 26, which

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The Kenya Psychiatric Association petitions the high court on attempted suicide

According to the 2020 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ Economic Survey, 196 cases of attempted suicide were reported in 2019. According to police records, about 420 suicide deaths occur in Kenya annually. It is nearly impossible to get accurate figures on suicide in Kenya given the taboo nature of the subject. Attempted suicide is a misdemeanor under the Kenyan penal code and carries a prison term of up to two years or a fine or both. In 1993, Henriksson performed

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The Kenya Psychiatric Association official position on substance use problems among students.

BACKGROUND There has been a spate of fires and unrest in secondary schools across Kenya over the past one year. Substance use among the students has been touted as a major contributing factor. Heads of schools have referred children for urine substance testing, with a negative test being a mandatory requirement for readmission into school. The National Authority for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA) carried out a national survey in 2018 which established that 20.2% of primary school children

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Opening Remarks of the President of the Kenya Psychiatric Association at the Beginning of the 2021 Kpa Annual Scientific Conference at the Lake Naivasha Resort in Naivasha.

Salutations The Presidential advisor on mental health, chairman of the Chiromo mental hospital, and chairman of the mental health task force: Dr. Frank Njenga. The director of mental health and immediate past president of the KPA, Dr. Simon Njuguna. The associate director of brain and mind institute and the dean of medical college East Africa, Aga Khan University Prof Lukoye W’Atwoli. The director of Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital and vice-president of the Kenya Psychiatric Association, Dr. Victoria Wamukoma

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Prof. Thornicroft presentation on Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health

Hello everyone, thank you very much for inviting me to give a talk at this Kenya Psychiatric Association meeting on the Impact of COVID-19 on mental health.First, I would like to introduce myself to you. My name is Graham Thornicroft and I am a professor of community psychiatry at King’s College London.In the plan of this meeting, I would like to tackle three issues. Firstly, briefly, the global context of mental health, secondly, the mental health impacts direct and indirect

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Harmful alcohol use

Any amount of alcohol use is currently considered harmful: Alcohol causes over 5 million deaths worldwide through injuries, cancer, liver disease among others. Alcohol is also responsible for contributing to over 200 diseases including heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Drinks such as bottled beer, wines and spirits; and local brew such as chang’aa, busaa, and muratina all contain alcohol. In Kenya 30% of people use alcohol mostly youth In addition to poor physical health, alcohol use contributes to:

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10 Things you should know about anti-depressants?

There are many types. One size doesn’t fit all and choice is made by the clinician based on one’s symptoms e.g. some are preferred when one has sleep problems; availability in the country of residence, age of the patient, other medical conditions, other medication being taken among other factors. Antidepressant effects take about 2-3weeks to be felt. Do not expect to pop a pill today and feel great tomorrow. Patience is key. You should be consistent with your antidepressant intake. Try to fix

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