Mental health in Kenya,Africa;the patient is a victim.

 There are several ways to get a mental illness,the most common being depression, an underlying illness affecting the brain or demon possession. In the modern age the last possibility is usually ignored in favor of the other two,and this in my view is dangerous because all mental conditions have a spiritual aspect to them,not just in Kenya or Africa,but the world over.For instance,in almost all mental cases,the patient hallucinates or hears voices.Mental health practitioners cannot explain the source of these voices or hallucinations,and only try to manage them,sometimes successfully.This is the spiritual side of mental health challenges,where the patient is really a victim of circumstances beyond human control.The victim is in the grips of spiritual domination,and these spirits are very real to the victim,which is why a mental health patient feels their lives endangered causing them sometimes to be hostile because of the survival instinct kicking in.

 A mental health patient should not be threatened by people around them because they already are victims of demonic torment,so threatening them makes their situation only worse.People sometimes become rough with mental health victims because they don’t understand them,yet from experience I can say that most mental health victims crave love,so just doing acts of love to them can calm them.You should also not pressure them with questions about their state or seek to make their situation worse by somehow trying to blame them for their situation.The victim is in pain and would not wish to be in their state.This is why some mental health patients,whom I prefer to call victims of demonic attack,commit suicide,to escape their pain. 

There is a lot of stigma attached to mental health challenges,and while this mostly affects the victim,it’s also a burden to the immediate family of the victim.Seeking psychological help for the family members can help alleviate their pain,and you should not in any way try to shun the victim or the family because of the condition.They all need love and to be accommodated by the society.Medical advise should also be adhered to,as it has been proven that it can help manage mental health challenges,but spiritual help is more to the point.Prayers from pastors,imams or other spiritual leaders tackle the problem at source,because all mental health challenges have a spiritual connection.In-fact what we call mental health illnesses today used to be called demonic possession not very far into the past.Love is the greatest,the bible says,and the best way to deal with a mental health victim or their families is by being patient,understanding and full of love towards them. 

Author:Lion Mambo.