Mental Health Awareness

This month of May is mental health awareness month. And because mental health is one of the issues I am passionate about, I couldn't let the month end without me talking about it. Believe me, I am as passionate about mental health as some people are enthusiastic about Champions League soccer matches.

Well, most people have only heard of physical health. But there are two other types of health which are essential to our well-being: that is, social health and mental health. Of the three types of health, mental health is the most important since when we are mentally healthy, it is easier to take care of our physical wellness and social life.

People who are mentally healthy feel good about themselves, get along well with others and are able to handle setbacks and life's challenges maturely. On the other hand, people who are mentally unhealthy are critical of themselves and have difficulty forging meaningful relationships with others.

There are a number of documented mental illnesses that afflict people. Among them are anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, manic-depressive disorder and multiple-personality disorder. Those mental illnesses, especially depression, can lead to suicide. They are that serious.

If you don't know my story, let me inform you that I was diagnosed with a mental illness in 2008 after I went astray at the university in JKUAT where I was pursuing a degree in electronic & computer engineering. I didn't note which mental illness the doctor diagnosed me with. All I recall is the way the doctor had me forcefully admitted to hospital where I was put on medication. Eventually, I dropped out of JKUAT in 2009 as I was unable to keep up with my engineering studies.

In September 2010, I matriculated at the University of Nairobi to pursue a less demanding degree than the one I had been studying at JKUAT. And you know what? I was again taken mentally ill in April 2011 after I went astray for the second time. This time, I noted that I was diagnosed with schizophrenia - a mental illness in which a person becomes unable to link thought, emotion and behavior, leading to withdrawal from reality and personal relationships.

The doctor who handled me after I went astray at the University of Nairobi was a humorous and easy-going man called Dr. Owiti. He put me on psychiatric medication while promising me that he would buy me a laptop after I informed him of how badly I needed to own a computer. Eventually when I got tired of Dr. Owiti's humor and unfulfilled promises, I switched to another doctor named Kigamwa who was also attached to the University of Nairobi.

Dr. Kigamwa was a more serious doctor. But his seriousness almost messed me up, for he at one time recommended I undergo electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), a medical procedure during which electrical current is passed through the brain to cure mental disorders. Fortunately, and I say fortunately for a reason I will explain later, I didn't undergo ECT after nurses found out I hadn't paid university fees for my second semester.

As the year 2011 wore on, I stopped seeing Dr. Kigamwa and taking medication. My father kept pleading with me that I see a psychiatrist, especially when he observed me dozing during the day. I didn't yield to his pleas as I believed I was mentally healthy. And for quite a long time, I felt that I hadn't deserved to be treated for a mental illness.

One day in 2012, my father came across an article in the newspaper about an organization called Users & Survivors of Psychiatry (USP). He urged me to read the article and then implored me to attend the USP meetings mentioned in the article. This time, I agreed to his suggestion and turned up for several USP meetings which were held on Saturday mornings in a room in downtown Nairobi.

And wow! I enjoyed attending those USP meetings. Not only did I make new friends during those USP meetings, I also learnt the challenges that people with mental illnesses face; challenges such as not being in the mood to receive incoming calls. I particularly remember one young man who had been brought to a USP meeting by his family. He was strikingly handsome, the dream boyfriend of every fashionable woman, but his mental illness had drained all the charm from his face.

I remember, too, the testimonies from some USP members of how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) had ruined their lives. That's why I have said it was fortunate I didn't undergo the ECT session that Dr. Kigamwa had recommended for me. If I had gone through ECT, I would probably not be having the excellent memory that I am now blessed with.

Attending USP meetings made me identify with people living with mental illnesses so much that I wrote to friends untruthful stories of how I had tried to commit suicide. The truth is, I have never contemplated killing myself even during my low moments when I have been consumed with guilt.

Although I believed for a long time that I didn't deserve to be diagnosed with a mental illness, I now tend to think the doctors who handled me at JKUAT and at the University of Nairobi were right in their diagnosis because I was grossly out of touch with reality when I went astray at the two universities. It was abnormal for me to abruptly stop attending classes without communicating with my family. In a sense, I was mentally ill.

These days, I consider myself mentally healthy, so I don't take any medication or attend USP meetings. I am able to think clearly, make wise decisions and get along well with others; which is probably why my father no longer coaxes me to consult a psychiatric. But I will forever treasure the experiences I had with psychiatric treatment, unpleasant though they were, since they made me value mental health. And that is why I am passionate about mental health these days.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on mental health awareness, you might also enjoy another one on "The XY Problem" which I wrote two years ago. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.