Mental disorders start in your teens

Kenya Mental Health Action Plan 2021-2025 estimates that half of all mental disorders start by the age of 14 and 75 percent by the age of 24. [iStockphoto]

One out of every eight people has a mental health disorder, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) which lists Africa as the leading in suicide deaths.

We were just consumed with utter devastation by the news of a student in Nakuru County who lost her life through suicide recently, for instance. That incident reminds us of the burden of mental health and how it cuts across even the seemingly innocuous aspects of our human existence.