HOW MAISHA IS STEPPING UP TO SHAPE MOTHERS' MENTAL HEALTH IN KENYA

African mothers in particular are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression than any other demographic due to their high birth rate. This means more women like K hadija are to be found in villages across Africa. Worse, the African health system and cultural practices seem to be ignoring mental health, leading to over 40 million mothers dying every year.

According to a recent study conducted in Nairobi slums, the prevalence rate for postpartum depression of 18 percent is likely compounded by gender-based violence which hovers around 47 percent for women in Kenya. These are things you are not likely to hear in the news or reported to the authorities, which makes finding reliable data is difficult. WHO steps in, but only provides estimates. Though great progress is being made on this front, K enya still has a long way to go. Clearly, the time has come to pay attention to mental health. The scope of research must be expanded beyond the individual, and take a multidimensional approach to understand what's behind women's poor mental health. And it must consider women's roles as mothers and partners as part of the equation. Otherwise, people like K hadija will fall through the cracks. This is what makes programs such as MAISHA a noble quest, as it seeks to also provide reliable health data to help policy make informed decisions. While relatively new, MAISHA seems to be making some of the right moves having attracted over 20,000 clients and growing. The program is a blend of both virtual and physical support. Through partnerships, they are already in over 450 hospitals and clinics. Ruth says they are targeting to be in 5,000 hospitals by the end of the year and have over a million clients. Moreover, they seek to have participated in more than half of all the diagnostic decisions being made in K enya.

Ruth's only regret is not starting MAISHA early enough to ensure mothers such as K hadija got the help they deserved. I remind in K enya for the next 3 weeks to try and understand this silent killer of African mothers and what more needs to be done. To celebrate this year's International Women's Day on 8th March, Maisha will be offering free postpartum depression screening and treatment.

BY INVERSK TEAM

This year's international wom- condition, and treatment can resolve it. en's day finds me in K enya. I Anyone with symptoms should see a docaccepted the challenge of Ruth tor immediately. P ostpartum depression Mwuara, the CE O of Thalia affects 1 in 9 new mothers, the Office on P sychotherapy, to discover the Women's Health report. challenges African mothers are Symptoms may arise within 1 facing. This has led me into a courtroom month or 1 year of delivery. They include near Africa's largest slum, Kibera. a persistently low mood that lasts for at On the 4th of January, K hadija was least 2 weeks. arrested for not feeding her 6-month A study conducted by The World Health infant. K hadija, a mother of 4, is in court Organization (WHO) in 2019 showed that accused of trying to murder her child as depression during or after childbirth revenge on the father who was reportedly affects approximately 13% of women marrying a second wife. F rom the photos, during the postnatal period and 10% of had P amela, the eldest child not sought women during pregnancy. help, things might have turned out Mothers with maternal depression differently. feel multiple symptoms such as a sense of Adhiambo, K hadija's lawyer, works hopelessness, withdrawn behaviours, sefor a nonprofit organization that seeks to vere mood swings, lack of concentration, represent suspects with known mental and unexplainable pains and fatigue. Mahealth problems in court. ternal depression has potential risks and Adhiambo looks tired as we are fatal implications for the mother, child, having lunch after K hadija's case. This and the entire family. The attachment was the sixth case since morning, and she between a mother and child is critical for is already tired, three more to go. " Our the child's physical and cognitive developlegal system needs to change" she quips ment in both present and later life. This " how do you punish a sick person for suggests that maternal depression can being sick. I have seen too often the have multigenerational adverse effects. trouble that people with mental conditions A study conducted by BMC Womare going through. They need to be in a en Health shows that maternal depression hospital, not prison. is a leading cause of disease burden for P ostpartum depression occurs women worldwide; however, there are after giving birth, and it involves a ethnic inequalities in access to psychologipersistent low mood. It is different from cal interventions in high-income countries the " baby blues" that many new parents (HICs). Culturally appropriate intervenexperience. Having postpartum depres- tions might prove beneficial for African sion does not mean that a person does not and Caribbean women living in HICs as love their baby. It is a mental health ethnic minorities.