Study reveals increase in number of women attending mental health talks

The aim of the study was also to find the appropriate treatments for the participants who are grappling with various conditions of mental health. [iStockphoto]

A study conducted by researchers working on mental health from the University of Nairobi, Medical Research Institute and University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has revealed that more women have been seeking help through mental health talks held at Kisumu County hospital for the past ten years.

The study also revealed that another 50 per cent of participants at the facility are those who are survivors of gender-based violence.

Principal investigator in the study Dr Susan Mefferet of UCSF said the study focused on mainly two disorders namely; depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD).

The aim of the study was also to find the appropriate treatments for the participants who are grappling with various conditions of mental health.

Dr Mefferet said at the beginning of the study before treatment about 95 per cent of people enrolled in it had depression or PTSD.

"At the end of the treatment we had about 12 to 20 per cent of patients still on diagnosis," she explained