MENTAL HEALTH

Jacob Aliet, a renowned author, once wrote that among the Luos, mourning of the dead is not just a matter of dabbing away tears in dignity and putting on grim expressions as you reflect upon the life of the departed and the circumstances at hand. Mourning for Luos is a full frontal, loud, spectacular dirge that involves flying mucus projectiles, loud wailing, spraying saliva, tears streaming down faces, head movements, wild eyes, gestures, horn blowing, speaking in tongues, asking the deceased why they departed and adornment of flamboyant mourning regalia. These were the scenes last Saturday at Nyayo village, Muhoroni Sub county in the outskirts of Kisumu City as we laid to rest our own Richard Ochieng Okumu, who died on the  night of Wednesday 21st September 2022.  Until his death, Richard Okumu was a third year student at Moi University main campus, the School of Education.

The cause of Okumu's death still remains unclear, but there are speculations that he might have been severely affected by mental health issues which saw him take away his life. According to a close source who sought anonymity, the late Okumu's body was discovered on the night of Wednesday 21st September, foam in his mouth and profusely sweating. The sweat reeked of an acrid chemical substance. Okumu was rushed to a nearby health facility and pronounced dead upon arrival, the medical practitioners agreeing  to the conclusion that he might had gulped down some potent agricultural chemical.

The close source adds that Okumu had been battling depression and rejection from his close family and girlfriend for a long time! 

Barely one year ago, the Moi University fraternity lost a young man in his first academic year, who resolved to committing suicide inside the male hostels after being turned down by his girlfriend. Cases of mental ill health has been on the rise especially among university students, leading to a proportional increase in cases of suicide.

Today, Monday 10th October, marks the World Mental Health day. Young adults are classified at the highest risk of being affected by mental health issues. The World Health Organization says almost two in seven adolescents aged 10 to 19 live with some form of mental health condition, and that suicide is the fifth most prevalent cause of death in this age group: forty five thousand eight hundred die each year, one every eleven minutes.

In a global survey conducted by World Health Organization, almost one in five fifteen to twenty four year-olds reported that they often felt depressed and had little interest in doing things. A shocking revelation by United Kingdom Mental Health Foundation has it that half of mental health conditions are established by the age of 14, and seventy five percent of the mental health conditions are established by the age of twenty four.

This year's World Mental Health Day theme is "Making mental health and well being for all a global priority. The World Health Organization is very clear on what needs to be done: " We must deepen the value and commitment we give to mental health as individuals, communities and governments and match that value with more commitment, engagement and investment by all stakeholders, across all sectors."

But I say: " Do you have that long time friend of yours with whom you spoke a long time ago? It is time to check up on him or her. People are going through difficult moments that we can not spot with our bare eyes. We may be with a person now and the next minute we hear they are no more. Again, let us make friends and join various organizations to expand our social circle. Committing suicide is not the best option, and should not even be an option. Always feel free to share out what's denying you peace of mind at any given time."