Content warning: Discusses themes of suicide, and self-harm.

In July of 2021, police in Kenya released a report showing that in the three months leading up to June 2021, 483 Kenyans had committed suicide. These numbers were alarming given that, for a period of just three months, the figure is far greater than any annual one reported before. The police report cited hard financial times as a result of job and business losses during the Covid-19 pandemic, as contributing to depression, violence and suicide, especially in the home.

The police report cited hard financial times as contributing to depression

Safaricom, a leading mobile telecommunications company in Kenya, engineered a platform a number of years ago, where Kenyans experiencing challenges with mental health could anonymously post about what they are going through, and briefly engage mental health professionals. This platform saw an upsurge in posts during the pandemic with many expressing financial challenges, and a significant number unfortunately relaying that they were having suicidal thoughts as a result of what they were going through.

This platform saw an upsurge in posts during the pandemic

Healthcare workers too were facing unique challenges. Working in the frontline of a public healthcare system that was already itself ailing understandably came with its own difficulties. Doctors drew attention to numerous obstacles that placed them at increased risk of illness during the pandemic. From my own past experiences working as a doctor in the Kenyan public healthcare system, I could relate to this plight.

Doctors drew attention to what placed them at increased risk of illness during the pandemic.

In December of 2020, doctors in Kenya went on strike demanding, among other things, adequate personal protective wear, which was an ongoing problem during the pandemic. The strike came hot on the heels of the death of a young doctor who had contracted Covid-19 while in the line of duty, and the anger, frustration and sadness following this young doctor’s death was heavy on the minds of the striking doctors.

The mental health of doctors and other healthcare workers is not really prioritised or discussed much during training, nor is it during when we start to practise. There is a lot that uniquely impacts the mental health of doctors and other healthcare workers, and suicide among doctors is often unspoken. In June of 2021, a young doctor was found lifeless inside her car, in the parking lot of the largest teaching and referral hospital, where she had been undertaking her residency training. Preliminary investigations indicated that it appeared to be a suicide. The young doctor had in life been open about her experience with her own mental illness. On top of that, she had been particularly vocal about the difficulty of working in the Kenyan public healthcare system and its toll on the mental wellbeing of doctors. This event sparked rare conversations within the medical fraternity about the silent negative effects of the nature of our training, and our work.

As we grow up, we are continuously taught the value of maintaining good physical health and avoiding physical illness.

As we grow up, we are continuously taught the value of maintaining good physical health and avoiding physical illness. We are repeatedly educated on the importance of eating well and exercising so as to stay in good physical form. Unfortunately, it is often not the same for mental health. Many of us are not taught specific mental health techniques such as how to cope with stress and deal with anxiety, which for many, especially in our adult lives, will inevitably affect our mental health. It is my sincere hope that as conversations around mental health continue to become normalised and more prevalent in various environments like schools and workplaces, a lot more will go into increasing awareness about preventative measures and techniques for maintaining good mental health.