East, Central, and Southern Africa College of Psychiatry (ECSAPSYCH).
Committee Leads
Background:
Cannabis use among adolescents is a growing public health concern in low-resource settings, including Kisumu County, Kenya. Early initiation is often linked to peer pressure, media influence, and limited mental health education. Project Tujiimize was launched as a community-driven initiative to assess patterns of adolescent cannabis use and co-design locally appropriate,...
BACKGROUND
Recognizing the pervasive reach of social media, Chiromo Hospital Group, through the Digital Relations Department in 2018, embarked on a deliberate strategy to leverage these platforms to address the significant treatment gap for mental health services. The initiative’s primary focus was to promote mental health advocacy through social media and community-based interventions.
The...
Adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYAH)face intersecting psychosocial challenges that significantly impact their mental wellbeing and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Despite growing global emphasis on improving ART adherence, there is a notable gap in intergrating psychosocial wellbeing into HIV care particurlaly in resource-constrained settings like Kenya. Peer...
Flagging off - Nawiri Walk
Keynote Address from the NEC and Guests, Dr. Florence Jaguga
ATTACHED
THE UNSEEN TOLL:THE PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION BURNOUT AND PTSD AMONGST HUMANITARIAN WORKERS IN KAKUMA AND DADAAB REFUGEE CAMPS.
BACKGROUND:
The 21st century has seen a dramatic increase in global humanitarian crises, doubling the number of people in need to 360 million in the last decade. This surge far outstrips available resources, placing immense pressure on humanitarian aid workers who...
Background/Aims:
Teen and single mothers in Kenya face disproportionate mental health burdens, including elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Access to culturally responsive and sustainable support remains limited, particularly in resource-constrained settings. We evaluated the effectiveness of a peer-led support group intervention in reducing symptoms of depression...
Background:
Community Health Workers (CHWs) are vital in bridging informal and formal health systems, enhancing access to underserved populations. Despite their essential roles, they often contend with heavy workloads, limited structured support, and inconsistent compensation. While existing research has focused on their responsibilities, few studies have examined their lived experiences,...
In the 21st century, identity is no longer just a social concept—it is a psychological infrastructure. Children today face unprecedented challenges: digital overload, cultural disconnection, peer pressure, and performance-based validation. In Kenya, the 2021 Mental Health Taskforce Report revealed a surge in childhood emotional distress, often rooted in weakened self-concept, low self-worth,...
Chief Executive Officer of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH)
Kevin Othero - Lawyer
Dr. Njuguna Simon - Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr. Sylvia Kemunto - Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr. Mercy Karanja - - Consultant Psychiatrist
Background:
Abandonment and prolonged hospitalization of patients in mental health facilities is a significant yet under-researched issue in Kenya’s mental health system. At Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital—the largest mental health facility in the country—a considerable number of patients remain admitted for extended periods, not due to clinical need, but because of...
Before the Breakdown: Community-Driven Early Mental Health Support for Africans in Diaspora
Background
Humanity has been migrating for a wide range of reasons since antiquity. More than 200 million Africans have formed a community in the diaspora in pursuit of academic and professional advancements, services within international agencies or seeking humanitarian aid encounter a convergence...
Background: Adolescents in Kenya face increasing mental health challenges, including academic stress, peer pressure, and socio-economic hardship, compounded by stigma and low mental health literacy. This prevents early detection and timely intervention for mental health problems. To address this gap, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and AMPATH, through the Afya ya Akili Mashinani...
Background:
Youth and adolescents who use alcohol and other drugs can experience negative consequences that usually cause adverse effects on their physical, psychological, and social functioning. Direct impacts include psychiatric morbidities, poor academic performance, and behavioral problems such as misconduct at home and in school, as well as engagement in risky behaviors like reckless...
Background: Patient abandonment in psychiatric wards is concerning, especially in resource-limited settings where the mental health workforce and bed capacity is inadequate. This results in congestion at the wards due to an increased number of discharge in patients, patient abscondment after long stays, staff burnout due to increased workload and a strain on the hospital budget. Contributing...
Background
Kilifi county faces a growing mental health burden, with only 0.6% (12,000 cases) of its 1.7 million outpatient workload diagnosed with mental health conditions, clearly indicating significant under diagnosis. Mental health services in Kilifi County have long been limited by limited personnel, poverty, stigma, inadequate funding and political goodwill. To address this, a targeted...
The Medically Assisted Therapy (MAT) program at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital (MNTRH) is central to Kenya’s opioid dependence response. Clients, often facing stigma and social exclusion due to heroin or opioid use, receive methadone-based Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) and psychosocial support, leading to medical stabilization and community reintegration. However, rising...
Introduction
The Erasmus+ exchange program, implemented by On The Move e.V., fosters social innovation in mental health by equipping students and professionals from Kenya, Ghana, and Germany with the skills to design and implement community-based interventions. In collaboration with Maseno University and Uzima University, the program has engaged over 50 participants to date, providing...
Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, a considerable proportion of young people experience an array of mental disorders but few seek facility-based care. Innovative approaches for increasing youth access to mental health support are needed to improve their mental wellbeing. We collected formative data from Kenyan youth in a rural community setting to inform future design of a digital mental...
Depression remains one of the most pressing mental health challenges globally, with a significant impact in low- and middle-income countries like Kenya. Limited access to trained mental health professionals, stigma, and underfunded systems hinder early detection and treatment. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be leveraged to address these gaps in community mental health...
PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN RECEIVING ANTENATAL CARE IN LEVEL FOUR AND FIVE HOSPITALS IN NYANDARUA COUNTY, KENYA
Dr. Susan Nyambura Muchunu, MBChB, MMed Psych
Email: susanmuchunu@gmail.com
Background
Perinatal depression and anxiety represent significant public health challenges in low-resource settings such as...
ABSTRACT
Depression is a leading mental health concern globally, particularly among disproportionately affected marginalized groups. Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth experience elevated rates of mental health challenges, including anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders, compared to their heterosexual peers due to factors such as discrimination, stigma, and minority...
