How Covid fuelled mental health crisis
A resident undergoing a nucleic acid test for the Covid-19 coronavirus as it snows in Harbin, China.
Countries will have to pay more attention to mental health after it emerged that Covid-19 triggered a 25 percent rise in anxiety and depression.
A scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggested that the greatest deterioration in mental health occurred in the areas worst hit by Covid-19 in the first year of the pandemic.
“The information we have now about the impact of Covid-19 on the world’s mental health is just the tip of the iceberg,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus told journalists on Wednesday when he commented on the report.
“This is a wake-up call to all countries to pay more attention to mental health and do a better job of supporting their populations’ mental health.”
Citing the unprecedented stress caused by social isolation as a major factor for the increase, WHO said that loneliness, suffering, deaths in the family, grief after bereavement, and financial worries were also major factors fuelling anxiety and depression.
The report says women were more affected than men, and younger people, especially those aged between 20 and 24, were more affected than older adults.
Young people were disproportionally at risk of suicidal and self-harming behaviour.
Exhaustion among health workers had also been a major trigger for suicidal thoughts.
“This increase in the prevalence of mental health problems coincided with severe disruptions to mental health services, and underscored chronic underinvestment in mental health, leaving huge gaps in care for those who need it most,” Dr Tedros said.
In July last year, a report from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed that about 500 people had killed themselves in the three months to June of that year.
“We have never recorded such a high number of suicides before and this is not only alarming but calls for urgent remedial measures.” DCI boss George Kinoti said.
No reason was given for the rise in suicide deaths in Kenya. A report published in June by WHO said: “Suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship breakup or chronic pain and illness.”
A recent report from the UN agency Mental Health Atlas showed that in 2022, governments worldwide spent on average just over two percent of their health budgets on mental health.
Many low-income countries reported having fewer than one mental health worker per 100,000 people, leading WHO to urge countries to spend more on related services.
“While the pandemic has generated interest in and concern for mental health, it has also revealed historical under-investment in mental health services,” said Dévora Kestel, WHO director for mental health and substance use.
“Countries must act urgently to ensure that mental health support is available to all.”
Kenya does not have a specific budget for mental health.
The Kenya Mental Health Action Plan 2021-2025 by the Ministry of Health shows that only 0.01 percent of the national health budget is allocated to mental health.
The report says Sh250 per capita should be spent on mental health but Kenya spends 15 cents.
The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover is not comprehensive and private insurance policies are discriminatory.
