Mental health issues trigger suicides among students

Depression may not be the only cause of suicides among students in institutions of higher learning, a mental health expert has told the Saturday Nation.

Dr Susan Hinga, a psychiatrist in private practice and a lecturer at Kenyatta University, said suicide is sometimes “impulsive, where people find themselves in situations out of which they see no exit”.

She also cautioned against the emphasis placed on depression alone, even though it is on top of the list of mental health challenges that lead to suicides.

She said acute psychosis, which is a state of confusion and delusion in patients with schizophrenia, could also lead to suicides. People who are bipolar are also at risk of suicide.

She advised the public to watch out for the following signs to know when to seek for help for any member of their families.

“After one has undergone a traumatic event, such as loss of a family member, a job or failed an exam and there is a radical change of behaviour, direct that person to a professional,” she said.

COUNSELLING

This year, about five public universities have reported student suicides. Some like Kenyatta University have put up counselling units for students to respond to the cases, which appear to be on the rise.

However, getting students to use the resources available to them has been a challenge. Other institutions, such as the Kenya Red Cross, have also put in place a system for those seeking help. For instance, the Red Cross has a toll free line — 1199 — for suicide help.

However, the presence of counsellors in institutions of learning is not enough. Experts have urged the universities to prepare first year students for the pressure they should expect after admission.

There is little literature that has quantified the mental health challenge in schools in Kenya, a deficiency that Dr Hinga said makes it difficult for experts to gauge whether it is a crisis or not.

“It could be rising or it could be that there is courage to talk about suicides now than before,” she said.

LONELINESS

A 2014 study by Caleb Othieno from the University of Nairobi’s Department of Psychiatry found that over 40 percent of students in universities had depression and 5.6 percent were found to have “severe depressive symptoms”.

Those in their first year were particularly affected more than their older counterparts. Before this study, analyses had not looked at the prevalence, but a 1987 survey found that 43 percent of students in universities had confessed they would seek care for depression, and another 2012 study had linked loneliness to depression.

Students living off campus and those from poor family backgrounds were more likely to be depressed.

The coping strategies, the study found, were not healthy either as they included binge drinking — that is drinking more than four bottles at a seating, or smoking. This was common among male students.

Another study on students in Makerere University also found out that students who study medicine were more likely, than those in other courses, to experience depressive episodes.