Depression is a condition that affects how a person thinks,acts and feels.
Depression has been rampant and not just Kenya but also around the world where we have had increased cases of suicide which are a result of this mental health disorder and it mostly hits the young people aged between 16 to 28 and more so the male gender.
According to the World Health Organization WHO as of 2021, 2 million people are facing depression and in Kenya alone we have a population of approximately 54 million people.
Depression is usually hard to tell most times as it’s not always evident in people facing it however there are various symptoms tied to depression which include sleep disorders, anxiety, changes in moods,increased drug use and mostly suicidal thoughts and attempts in others.
There are various factors that lead to depression which may be
Toxic parenting, Abuse which may be physical, sexual,or emotional as well, Age may also contribute and in this case the mostly affected age set as I mentioned earlier is between 16 to 28 or even 30 plus.
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Toxic parenting entails a parent treating their children in a way that makes them feel less important and doubtful about themselves.
It does not have to be verbal abuse but can be emotional as well as well where a parent ignores the child’s emotions and puts theirs first. This may include guilt tripping a child by playing victim.
Toxic parenting can affect a child a lot while growing up in so many ways including leading to depression in this case.
A child who has been through toxic parenting may feel less and end up expecting the worst from people and life as well, it may make a child more susceptible to mirroring the same negative behaviors experienced from home and he or she may eventually fall into depression.
Young people should avoid suppressing their emotions as it’s unhealthy. They should know that different days have different results and while some may be difficult others will be great as well
Depression should be taken seriously as it has become rampant and especially amongst the young people some of whom are unable to talk about it thus making wrong personal decisions.
Kenya is however determined to fight this mental health condition as a mental health taskforce was implemented to improve care to the individuals with mental health in the country.