Mind Matters: The Mental Health Month

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month; a time dedicated to raising awareness about mental health issues. This month, global observances include World Maternal Health Day, Children’s Mental Health Day, and National Older Adult Mental health day.

Mental health is a growing concern globally, including Kenya, where one in four Kenyans struggle with mental illness. Therefore, it’s important for us to prioritize mental health awareness and education to highlight its significance in our lives. The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community”. Consequently, mental illness is characterised by a “clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour” and this can range from mild to severe.

The public perception of mental health varies, from a stigmatised view of people with mental illness as dangerous social pariahs to a more nuanced understanding of the issues that affect a person’s mental wellbeing. As knowledge and research on mental health grows, diagnoses like depression and anxiety are more common along with other disorders like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. It’s important to reduce stigma against mental illness and acknowledge that mental illness is an illness like any other and affects people regardless of class, education level and socioeconomic status and to encourage people to seek treatment.  

Decades of research have gone into mental health and how to improve mental health outcomes in the population at large and have provided useful and relevant information capable of being implemented by practically everyone. We have highlighted a few here, for example, an easy way to take care of your mental health is spending time in nature. Studies have found that spending time in nature can help with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. 

The World Health Organization theme for mental health awareness week this year 2024 is “Movement: Moving more for our mental health.” There is a wide body of research that proves that staying active is a great way to improve mental health and possibly prevent some mental health disorders. People who exercise regularly have better mental health and emotional wellbeing, and lower rates of mental illness. 

Studies have shown a negative correlation between problematic social media use and various psychological factors such as self-esteem, loneliness, and life satisfaction. Therefore, reduction in social media is essential in improving one’s mental health. It has been shown that a conscious and controlled reduction in social media use, coupled with an increase in physical activity can enhance mental well-being and decrease the impact of stress, with these effects lasting up to six months. 

Sleep and mental health are closely related. Getting enough sleep is critical and poor sleep can negatively affect your mental health. Adequate sleep is important for improved productivity, safer driving, lower stress levels, enhanced memory, strong immune system and contributes to rapid muscle toning. Adults are recommended to sleep for eight hours for better mental health. 

Another helpful action is practicing gratitude. Acknowledging and showing gratitude reduces stress and increases your long-term mental and physical health. Cultivating an outlook of appreciation and gratitude towards life therefore serves as a lasting asset for leading a resilient, joyful, and meaningful life. 

Seeking support is also another important step that can be taken. Although there still exists stigma against people with mental illness, challenging that stigma is important as well as acknowledging that it’s okay to ask for help. Reaching out to family, friends and mental health professionals when needed can be lifesaving. 

KEMRI’s Mental Health Department is committed to tackling this challenge through impactful mental health research. Our research focuses on developing better solutions, improving access to care, and ultimately reducing the burden of mental illness in Kenya and the region. We believe collaboration is key. Through spreading awareness, nurturing comprehension, and promoting supportive initiatives, we can foster an environment where individuals have the chance to flourish mentally, emotionally, and socially. Let’s seize this month as a chance to make impactful strides in improving mental health for both ourselves and those around us.