by Beryl Okendo and Jeremiah Ongili.

The JOOTRH Psychiatric consultants held an awareness meeting with patients on matters of mental health.

The team, led by Cosmos Ngisa, a psychiatric nurse took the initiative to actively involve the patients in an enlightening question and Answer session aimed at educating them to understand what entails mental health and the importance of being mentally healthy in a world full of all sorts of chaos and stresses that affect nearly everyone.

Mr. Ramadhan Hassan, a clinical psychologist while leading the conversation, shed light on components of mental health which include emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

“It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices, mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood and even old age.” He spoke.

Causes of mental breakdown may include alcohol and substance abuse, accidents that injure or causes neurological trauma, loss of loved ones, or the inability to cope with major stressful events like divorce or stressful relationships.

The patients were advised to seek help from the hospital whenever they encounter talking to themselves, hallucinations, sleep irregularities (inadequate or too much sleep), loss of appetite or sometimes overeating, self-seclusion, violent individual, and forgetfulness

The issue of social support for those experiencing mental health disorders was a concern to the patients in attendance. Supporting the old in the community is very important. Old people usually experience stress mostly because of the lack of a social network or loneliness. The patients were encouraged to maintain their social networks even in their old age to avoid loneliness.

Expectant mothers also put their unborn children at risk of developing mental or developmental disorders when they indulge in alcohol and substance abuse during their gestation period.

The psychiatrists also encouraged hospital deliveries for expectant mothers to reduce the risk of mental disorders in children.

“We should take a collective initiative as a community to protect our children too from happenings that might lead to a mental breakdown. Dr. Hassan said.

Parents and guardians should aim at creating a friendly environment for their children. Interact with their children regularly and be friendly to create a warm relationship so that they can share anything that is keeping them restless.

The issue of depression as an appt mental disorder has long been focused mostly on women, forgetting that men like women too have feelings and sometimes might not know how to deal with negative ones. Men should therefore be given an equal chance to grieve and express themselves to overcome pain.

It is also important to note that mental disorders can affect anyone. “Let’s be our neighbor’s keepers, it is okay to not be okay, especially in a society full of ups and downs that never end.” Dr. Hassan added.

weekly sensitizations are mostly held at the consultation clinics within the hospital to address mental issues affecting patients.

In the interactive sessions open to all age groups, the patients are allowed to talk to our psychiatric consultants openly or confidentially about their mental states.

Opportunities are kept open to everyone with queries regarding psychiatric disorders.

The psychiatric consultants at JOOTRH deal with developmental disorders in children, speech therapy, toilet training, occupational therapy, depression, and social support and counseling for patients with mental disorders.

The sessions are weekly on Wednesdays.