Our Mental Health Clinic is an outpatient health facility meant for the diagnosis and treatment of psychological and behavioural problems, as well as the improvement of mental health in people with mental problems. Mental Health is a condition of good health where an individual realizes their own capabilities, can tolerate the stresses of life, can work fruitfully and is able to make a positive impact on their immediate community. When this is lacking then a person is said to be suffering from mental illness.
Satisfactory Mental Health is not just about avoiding continuous problems but about looking after your prolonged well being and general happiness. Mental illness is a state that affects a person’s feelings, thinking or general mood, these conditions are the ones that affect daily life as well as how someone relates with others. If you have or suspect to be suffering from mental illness, the first step should be trying to find the root cause or seeking professional help from a mental health clinic.
We have a Mental Health Clinic at the Outpatient services department of Limuru Cottage Hospital, with qualified health professionals (psychiatrists and psychologists) whose main mission is to help mental illness patients recover by guiding and offering them the appropriate treatment and management they require. At our mental health clinic, we take mental health illness very seriously and we are always on the alert to help you look and feel good about yourself.
Read on to learn more about our mental health services.
Table of Contents
- Mental Health Services
- Adult mental health services in Kenya
- Specialist mental health services
- Mental health services for children and young people
- Mental health services for elderly people
- Telephone and online support for mental health issues
- Private mental health services
- Where to seek mental health services
- Frequently Asked Questions About Mental Health.
- What are the examples of mental health?
- Can mental health be treated?
- What causes mental health problems?
- How do you prevent mental illness?
- What are the 5 signs of mental illness?
- Can mental illness affect the brain?
- What is good mental health?
- How do you diagnose mental illness?
- What is the difference between mental health and mental illness?
- Is mental illness all in your head?
- How long does mental health last?
Mental Health Services
The Mental Health Clinic at Limuru Cottage Hospital offers a variety of mental health services to deserving people in the community, which include:
Adult mental health services in Kenya
The mental health clinic of Limuru Cottage Hospital offers diagnosis and treatment for voluntary and compulsory patients with serious mental illness, while the community health services, private psychiatrist services, and other specialist clinics also offer a wide range of other options for people who require intensive treatment care.
Other mental health services for adults in Kenya include:
- Public hospitals; Some of these hospitals provide diagnosis and treatment for voluntary and compulsory patients through ‘acute in-patient wards’.
- Community-based services and teams; are mandated with bridging the gap between in-hospital care and living in the community which include the Acute Community Intervention Service (ACIS), Community Care Units (CCUs), Prevention and Recovery Care Services (PARCs), and outpatient clinical treatment.
- Mental Health Community Services (MHCCs); are run and managed by non-government organizations and provide help with daily activities and people with severe and enduring mental health illnesses to live positively in the community.
Specialist mental health services
Specialist mental health services are available at our mental health clinic across our facilities for people with specific mental health needs. These services include;
- Families (includes family violence)
- Adults with acquired brain injury or neurodegenerative conditions with a related psychiatric disorder
- People with eating disorders
- People with both an intellectual disability and mental illness
- New mothers battling antenatal and postnatal mental health disorders
- People with personality disorders
- Ethnic war victims
Mental health services for children and young people
The mental health clinic across Limuru Cottage Hospital facilities offers mental health services for children and adolescents up to the age of 18 years. The mental health services include:
- Clinical assessment and treatment in a clinic-based setup.
- Acute in-patient services offer short-term assessment and in-patient treatment for serious emotional disturbances that cannot be treated safely and effectively in the community.
- Day programs offer integrated therapeutic and educational support for young people with behavioural difficulties, severe depression or anxiety, personality problems or serious mental illness.
- Autism assessment offers a diagnostic assessment of children with serious developmental problems like autism at the mental health clinic.
Mental health services for elderly people
Our mental health clinics across our facilities have specialist mental health services for treating people over 65 years and the elderly. These include:
- Assessment and treatment, rehabilitation and case management services.
- Acute in-patient services, by providing short-term management and mental health treatment.
Telephone and online support for mental health issues
We have mental health helplines in our mental health clinic across our facilities where you can call to speak to someone if you are struggling with mental health issues.
Private mental health services
Your doctor can suggest mental health services in your local area or refer you to a psychiatrist, psychologist or mental health professional in the community usually for up to six sessions for a start. If your psychiatrist decides you need a more intensive level of treatment, they can advise and arrange for further treatment, at the most appropriate facilities including community mental health programs, residential clinics, and other hospitals.
Where to seek mental health services
You can seek mental health services from the following:
- Your doctor
- Mental healthcare practitioner, in a mental health clinic
- Online mental health support websites
Causes of mental illness
The following are the leading causes of mental illness in today’s world:
- Education level
- A financial crisis or belonging to a marginalized ethnic group increases the risk of mental health illness
- Certain genes and gene variants are known to increase the chances of mental illness in some people
- Underlying chronic health problems like diabetes and cancer may contribute to one developing a mental disorder
- Occupation
- Socioeconomic conditions like the availability of work in one’s local area
- Age is also a contributing factor to mental illness
Types of mental health disorders
- Anxiety Disorders; These are the most common types of mental illnesses in these days. People suffering from anxiety disorders have extreme fear because of certain situations or conditions around them and will always avoid these triggering factors to their anxiety.
- Panic Disorders; People with panic disorders suffer from regular nervousness attacks which entail sudden engulfing fear or sometimes a sense of impending calamity or even death.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD); People suffering from OCD have infatuations and urges for certain things, they experience repetitive stressful thoughts and strong urges to repeat things.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD); PTSD occurs from constant sensations of trauma and fear, like witnessing grave and traumatic events. In such an occurrence, the person will constantly think that his life and that of others around them are in serious danger.
- Mood Disorders; Also known as depressive disorders, people with mood disorders suffer from sudden mood swings mainly due to depression.
Signs of mental illness
There are no known lab tests that can be done at the mental health clinic to ascertain whether a person is suffering from mental illness, but there are leading signs that can tell that a person is having or suffering from mental illness like;
- Avoiding/under-involvement in activities and things that they usually enjoy doing
- Being delusional
- Feeling hopeless and mood swings
- Shutting from the real world; family, friends, colleagues
- Showing signs of confusion
- Skipping work or school
- Substance abuse like alcohol and or drugs
- Overeating or Undereating
Treating of mental illness
Management and treatment of Mental illness at the mental clinic depends on an individual and differs from one person to the other depending on their type of illness and the work they put into it for recovery. There are various options that a person can settle on at the various stages of life, some are friendly while some are not. The most important thing to do is engage a doctor who will assess the level of mental illness and recommend a suitable treatment plan.
Some of the treatment options available in a mental health clinic are;
- Talking therapies; A person with mental illness can choose to talk to either a psychiatrist, psychologist or a psychotherapist in a mental health clinic to help them understand the cause of their mental illness and help them work towards identifying ways to make them live positively and reduce the danger of segregation and self-harm.
- Medication; Depending on the level or type of mental illness that a person is suffering from, some type of medication may be recommended at the medical health clinic to help enhance their symptoms thus making them resume a normal schedule as they continue working on their mental health wellness. Some of the medications include; anxiolytic drugs, antidepressants or antipsychotics.
- Self-help remedies; The road to recovery from mental illness is based on the individual effort a person puts in to make them look and feel better, and this will mean making some difficult changes to help towards recovery like; Reducing alcohol intake, drugs or smoking, eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, taking a break from work or mending personal relationships that may be contributing to their stress levels.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mental Health.
What are the examples of mental health?
Some of the common mental illnesses include; anxiety disorders, depression, addictive behaviours, eating disorders, and schizophrenia.
Can mental health be treated?
Many people suffering from mental illness achieve strength and recovery through taking part in individual or group treatment in mental health clinics.
There are many treatment options available in mental health clinics, and since there are no treatment options that work for everyone, individuals are advised to choose treatment or a combination of treatments that works best for them.
What causes mental health problems?
There is no known cause of mental illness, but findings suggest that a number of factors are the root cause of mental health like; biology, heredity, environmental stress, and psychological trauma.
How do you prevent mental illness?
You can adopt the following things to help reduce the chances of suffering mental illness; eating a healthy balanced diet, doing activities you love to minimize stress, accepting who you are, drinking sensibly to reduce mood swings, and learning new skills to improve mental health, staying in contact with your friends, taking time off for your own well-being.
What are the 5 signs of mental illness?
The following are the leading signs of mental illness to watch out for; dramatic changes in eating, and sleeping patterns, irritability, excessive anxiety, fear, or worry, social withdrawal, and extreme mood swings.
Can mental illness affect the brain?
There’s enough evidence from scientists that mental illness may cause or worsen the existing disruptions to how the brain generally works and even the way it is structured.
What is good mental health?
Mental Health is a condition of good health where an individual realizes their own capabilities, can tolerate the stresses of life, can work fruitfully and is able to make a positive impact on their immediate community.
How do you diagnose mental illness?
Mental illness can be diagnosed in the following ways in a mental health clinic; a physical exam by ruling out physical problems likely to cause your symptoms, a psychological examination, through lab tests like screening for alcohol and drugs.
What is the difference between mental health and mental illness?
mental health refers to a person’s state of mental, and emotional well-being, while mental illnesses are known to be diagnosed as conditions that affect a person’s thoughts and behaviour.
Is mental illness all in your head?
Mental health illness is not all in your head. Since it affects your brain and your brain controls the rest of your body, it can make you ill and cause you unexplained pains and aches.
How long does mental health last?
Some people may only have an episode of mental illness that might last a few days, weeks or months, while others might have long-lasting conditions that do not go away and are managed by medication from mental health clinics.