Let's pull together to nurture our teenagers' mental wellbeing

A group of participants of mental health charity walk at Kenyatta avenue. [Edward Kiplimo,Standard]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." There is no health without mental health.

Mental health disorders are not limited to adults in spite of the common assumption. Research has shown that mental health illness is becoming more frequent among teenagers globally with one in five teens between the age of 12- 18 years being diagnosed with at least one disorder. Half of the chronic mental health cases develop before the age of 18. Suicide has proved to be the second cause of death among adolescents. Sadly, teenage mental health cases are usually neglected and treated as ordinary mood swings that will resolve with time.