Second Lady Dorcas Rigathi has encouraged students to prioritize their mental health as it was a crucial part of the education system.
Speaking during a forum held at Mount Kenya University dubbed Sikika Youth Festival aimed at addressing mental health issues among the youth, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi stated the need for mental health support systems to be put in place for students in University and Tertiary learning institutions.
“I am deeply concerned about the increase in cases of students struggling with depression and anxiety. Recently, during a visit to a rehabilitation facility in Mombasa, I was reliably informed that 60 per cent of the recovering addicts are students who dropped out from universities and colleges,” said Mrs. Rigathi.
She urged the youth to speak out when depressed in order for them to receive assistance that they urgently require.
“Mental health issues coupled with drug abuse are destroying our future generation. We therefore need to create awareness on this very important issue. I call on Universities and Tertiary institutions to create offices for mental health professionals where students can receive the much-needed help. This will also help to demystify mental illnesses and the affected will not shy away from seeking help when required,” she said.
The students were also encouraged to consume online content with wisdom as research had proven that the internet and social media were major contributors to mental imbalance among the youth.
“We have seen students getting themselves in trouble after following dangerous online cultures like sponsorships and wash wash that they engage in due to peer pressure, not forgetting celebrity lifestyles where students want to live lavishly like people they see on social media,” said Dr Jane Nyutu, a counselling psychologist at Mind and Beyond Counselling Centre.
“We however want them to know that the doors to our counselling facility remain open to them should they need to unburden themselves from the pressures of life and we encourage them to visit as often as possible,” she stated.
Other causes that contribute to depression include competitive academic performance, prolonged poor academic achievement, poverty, broken and shrinking social fabric such as living in gated communities, relationship challenges, and the culture of silence instead of self-expression when in need or ill.
The Forum brought together university students from various institutions under the theme Sikika, Tubonge, Tusifiche in efforts to reduce the cases of young people living with depression and anxiety in Kenya.
By Hellen Lunalo
