Traditional healers and provision of mental health services in cosmopolitan informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the types of mental illnesses treated by traditional healers, and their methods of identifying and treating mental illnesses in their patients. Method: In urban informal settlements of Kibera, Kangemi and Kawangware in Nairobi, Kenya, we used opportunistic sampling until the required number of traditional healers was reached, trying as much as possible to represent the different communities of Kenya. Focus group discussions were held with traditionalhealers in each site and later an in-depth interview was conducted with each traditional healer. An in-depth interview with each patient of the traditional healer was conducted and thereafter the MINIPLUS was administered to check the mental illness diagnoses arrived at or missed by the traditional healers. Quantitative analysis was performed using SPSS while focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were analysed for emerging themes.Results: Traditional healers are consulted for mental disorders by members of the community. They are able to recognize some mental disorders, particularly those relating to psychosis. However, they are limited especially for common mental disorders.Conclusion: There is a need to educate healers on how to recognize different types of mental disorders and make referrals when patients are not responding to their treatments.Keywords: Traditional Healers; Mental illness; Informal settlements; Keny

Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of mental illness among staff in general medical facilities in Kenya: practice and policy implications

Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about mental illness among staff in general hospitals. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on staff in ten medical facilities in Kenya on their socio-demographic characteristics, professional qualifications and knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) toward mental illness. Results: A total of 684 general hospital staff: nurses (47.8%); doctors (18.1%); registered clinical officers (5.1%); students (9.5%) and support staff (19.5%) were recruited. About three quarters were under 40 years of age; most thought mental illness could be managed in general hospital facilities; the older the doctors were (age 40 years and older) the more they were aware of and positive towards mental illness. Most of the workers did not suspect any psychiatric symptoms among the patients they treated resulting in low referral rates for psychiatric services. Conclusion: There are gaps in knowledge on mental illness which could be constructively filled with Continued Medical Education (CME).Key words: Hospital, General; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Mental disorders; Keny

[Accepted Manuscript] Nurses’ perceptions of universal health coverage and its implications for the Kenyan health sector

Universal health coverage, comprehensive access to affordable and quality health services, is a key component of the newly adopted 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to the UN resolution, several countries began incorporating elements of universal health coverage into their domestic policy arenas. In 2013, the newly elected President of Kenya announced initiatives aimed at moving towards universal health coverage, which have proven to be controversial. Little is known about how frontline workers, increasingly politically active and responsible for executing these mandates, view these changes. To understand more about how actors make sense of universal health coverage policies, we conducted an interpretive policy analysis using well-established methods from critical policy studies. This study utilized in-depth semi-structured interviews from a cross section of 60 nurses in three health facilities (public and private) in Kenya. Nurses were found to be largely unfamiliar with universal health coverage and interpreted it in myriad ways. One policy in particular, free maternal health care, was interpreted positively in theory and negatively in practice. Nurses often relied on symbolic language to express powerlessness in the wake of significant health systems reform. Study participants linked many of these frustrations to disorganization in the health sector as well as the changing political landscape in Kenya. These interpretations provide insight into charged policy positions held by frontline workers that threaten to interrupt service delivery and undermine the movement towards universal health coverage in Kenya

The prevalence of depressive symptoms among adolescents in Nairobi public secondary schools: association with perceived maladaptive parental behaviour

Objective: Depression in adolescents is a matter of concern because of its high prevalence, potential recurrence and impairment of functioning in the affected individual. The study sought to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms among adolescents in Nairobi (Kenya) public secondary schools; make a comparison between day and boarding students; and identify associated factors in this population. Method: A random sample of school going adolescents was taken from a stratified sample of 17 secondary schools out of the 49 public secondary schools in Nairobi province. The sample was stratified to take into account geographical distribution, day and boarding schools, boys only, girls only and mixed (co-education) schools in the capital city of Kenya. Self administered instruments (EMBU and CDI) were used to measure perceived parental behaviour and levels of depression in a total of 1,276 students excluding those who had no living parent. Results: The prevalence of clinically significant depressive symptoms was 26.4%. The occurrence was higher in girls than it was in boys p<0.001. Students in boarding schools had more clinically significant depressive symptoms compared to day students (p=0.01). More girls exhibited suicidal  behaviour than boys (p<0.001). There was a significant correlation between depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviour (p<0.001). CDIscores correlated positively with age (p<0.001) with an increase in CDI  score with unit increase in age among students 14-17 years old, perceived rejecting maternal parenting behaviour (p<0.001), perceived no emotional attachment paternal behaviour (p<0.001), perceived no emotional attachment maternal behaviour (p<0.001), and perceived under protective paternal behaviour (p=0.005).Conclusion: Perceived maladaptive parental behaviours are substantially associated with the development of depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviour in children.Key words: Depression; Adolescent; Parent; Keny

Substance abuse and psychiatric co-morbidities: a case study of patients at Mathari Psychiatric Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya

Substance abuse co-morbidity with psychiatric disorders is common and has been widely reported, except in Kenya. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern and socio-economic burden of a dual diagnosis of substance abuse disorder and other psychiatric conditions. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 691 patients admitted at Mathari hospital. Only 42 patients had a first working diagnosis of substance abuse but nearly thirty-five percent of the patients scored for a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) diagnosis of alcohol dependance/abuse. There was high co-morbidity of alcohol abuse/dependence with opiate, sedative and 'khat' use, as well as with mood and other psychotic disorders. Substance abuse disorders correlated significantly with other psychiatric disorders. Only 12 patients were in a drug rehabilitation unit, all of whom had a dual psychiatric diagnosis of affective disorder. There were high co-morbidity rates of substance abuse in both general psychiatric wards and drug rehabilitation units. KEY WORDS: substance abuse, co-morbidity, psychiatric disorders, Keny

Outcome of a working diagnosis of \"psychosis\" in relation to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria in a Kenyan in-patient cohort at Mathari hospital, Nairobi

Background: When a patient presents with mental illness and displays psychotic symptoms which are not clearly delineated, a clinical diagnosis of psychosis is usually entertained. Aim: To determine the underlying Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth edition (DSM-IV) disorders in clinical entities admitted with a working diagnosis of \"psychosis\" at Mathari Psychiatric Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study Method: A total of 138 patients with a working diagnosis of \"psychosis\" on admission at Mathari Hospital during the period of this study were recruited over a one-month period. Their DSM-IV diagnoses were made using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Analysis of the results was done using SPSS version 11.5. Results: Nearly three quarters (72.5%) of the patients were male, 68.5% were aged between 20 and 34 years and 63.7% reported that they were single. Nearly half (49.2%) had attained up to 12 years of formal education and 90% were dependants of a member of the family. The most common DSM-IV diagnoses were schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, depression and anxiety disorders. Co-morbidity was recorded with an average of three DSM-IV disorders. Conclusion: \"Psychosis\" as a working diagnosis was reported in relatively young adults. The patients whose working clinical diagnosis was \"psychosis\" met the criteria for an average of three DSM-IV diagnoses. There is need for a proactive policy in clinical practice so that definitive diagnoses rather than just \"psychosis\" are made and appropriate management initiated as early as possible. African Health Sciences Vol. 7 (4) 2007: pp. 197-20

The challenges of human resources in mental health in Kenya

Objective: Africa faces a skills shortage, in spite of training suitably qualified professionals. This is particularly evident in the discipline of Psychiatry. An analysis of the distribution and availability of psychiatrists in Kenya was thus conducted and findings compared with specific other African countries (Uganda and Zimbabwe). Method: Questionnaire, emailed to Heads of Academic Departments within the specified countries. Results: In 2004, there were a total of 53 psychiatrists practicing in Kenya, for a population of 31.5 million. The country has about 4,000 medical practitioners, with psychiatrists constituting 0.013% of the total number of medical practitioners. This is equivalent to a psychiatrist: population ratio of 1:594,339; doctor: population ratio of 1:7,875; a psychiatrist: overall doctors' ratio of 1:75.5, that is only 1.325% of Kenyan doctors are psychiatrists. When the psychiatrist: population ratios are considered on the basis of the provinces, then the ratios vary from 1:63,007 in the capital city of Nairobi to 1:4,393,19 in other provinces, with one without a psychiatrist for a population of 962,143. The ratios decline further when psychiatrists available for clinical work in public facilities are considered. Up to 34% (n=18) of all Kenyan psychiatrists were in private practice. The remaining 66% (n=35) were in the public sector, of whom more than 20 were in full time administrative or academic positions and therefore not available for full time clinical work in the public sector. Locally trained psychiatrists, compared with foreign trained psychiatrists, fared better on: non-migration to other countries, working in rural rather the urban areas, working in public rather than private sector and in overall academic achievements. Conclusion: In the fore-seeable future in Kenya it will not be possible to achieve a psychiatrist: population ratio equivalent to that in Western countries, both in terms of overall ratio for the country, and more importantly, for the average distribution within the country. For the needs of Kenya, and other developing countries, local training of psychiatrists is superior to foreign training in several parameters. If Kenya and other similar developing countries in Africa are to achieve realistic mental health service delivery in the foreseeable future, alternative non-specialist training in mental health is required. Conflict of Interest: None. This study was conceptualized by DMN. It formed the basis of the Key Note speech at the WHO Regional Conference of Psychiatrists, Arusha, Tanzania 2004. It was funded by the Africa Mental Health Foundation (AMHF). Keywords: Kenya, Questionnaire, Mental health > South African Psychiatry Review Vol. 10 (1) 2007: pp 33-3

A study of drug use in five urban centres in Kenya

Few studies have addressed the reasons for substance use in Kenya, with most focusing on prevalence rates in school-based and general population samples. None have been carried out among people already using drugs. This study, based on five samples of drug users, aimed to identify patterns of factors contributing to and consequences of substance use; compare socio-demographic characteristics; document help-seeking behaviours of substance abusers as well as their family and social dynamics. Active or former substance abusers (N =1,420) were interviewed using a structured questionnaire format. The peak age for substance abuse was between 21 and 30 years and most abusers were male. Leisure, stress and peer pressure were the most common reasons given for abusing substances. There were negative economic and work-related impacts of abusing substances. Risky sexual behaviour may have been a consequenc of abusing substances. Substance abusers need assistance as most of them could benefit from programmes for treatment and rehabilitation. Keywords: substance abuse, Kenya, urban, peri-urba