From Alliance Boys into a Phd and a proud mental health champion (Lived experience leadership) the interface continues

Paul Aloyo is a man of many titles; a super dad a PhD holder in architecture, a lecturer in one of the universities in Kenya and a mental health champion. Free certified WHO course

When he narrates his life in Alliance boys back in the day, you may start to wonder if it was the pressure to perform well in school or was it the burn out from the growing responsibilities he had much later in his employment that saw him being treated with a nervous breakdown later on and much later a diagnosis of bipolar.

Paul started noticing some changes in himself when he started feeling too tired to socialize, he would leave work before time and often use the back door to avoid meeting people, he was also irritable to a point where he once threatened to resign from work, it had become his style to always burn bridges.

In his good days he would enjoy long spurts of creative energy taking on ambitious projects but instead of enjoying in the success of the projects, he would fall into a long episode of depression that he could not explain.

Luckily for him he had not only a very understanding manager but the side of his family who understood he had been having a hard time were very supportive.

Paul recalls that some family members thought he was okay since they could not see anything that was wrong with him. After a long search for treatment from radiologists, endocrinologists and others he was later referred to a psychiatrist where he could finally start finding some answers.

Bipolar is a mental health condition characterized by bouts of energy at one point followed by lows (depression). At some point after going down with chronic depression for 3 consecutive years Paul underwent electroconvulsive therapy (a brief electrical stimulation of the brain) and now takes medication to control mood fluctuations.

Paul is very thankful for all the support he was accorded when he was at his lowest moments even though there were some hurtful comments.

When he was finally able to share about the struggles with his mental health, some people came to him with their own stories and others with what they had seen their family members going through, he was very happy to identify with them and to help them where he could, it is from there that his passion of sharing his story to help other who may be struggling in silence grew and now he anticipates to instill some hope in sharing.

“people stood by me, so I must help others, it doesn’t take anything from you”

Paul likes to make it very clear to anyone who thinks about quitting that it was after his worst moments and even the treatment with ECT that he undertook his PhD.

What is your story? You can use it to helps someone. Start today.

Speak up about mental health

The morning brings a smile (Lived experience leadership Jefferson's story)

Music like poetry brings out reality in its own unique way, in Kenya we have genge our own genre that's unbeatable. Even then we all have that one RnB that is nostalgic. Before I introduce to you Jeff our next champion with a lived experience of mental health problem, you might want to marvel at his artistic swag on his single Because of you and the way he plays with words! Feel free to join a free certified course by WHO here Quality Rights

It is with pleasure that I share my story with you, the way it has impacted on me and the way it has changed my life. I am Jefferson a student in the Kenyatta University and I am pursuing a degree in education I am also a mental health champion.

 I grew up in tough conditions, I used to be beaten from childhood till my late teens, a close family member looked down upon me, hurling abuses at me and nothing I did impressed him, no one else was like me in the family, I never had peace and it lowered my self-esteem.

During family gatherings I meant the least, no one gave me any attention, I couldn't play with other kids because I was constantly told they were not my agemates, this made it difficult for me to socialize and I was always alone. Later on I moved from home and started living with another relative, she still beat me too, I hardly played with the children in her neighborhood because I was different from them and they mocked me, I used to cry a lot and get depressed frequently.  

My high school days were no different, given my earlier experiences I was not able to socialize at all, when I did, I felt weird, I would talk too much only sometimes to find out that I was talking alone, I made friends through jokes, that's all I knew and music, which I loved so much, I was lonely, I didn't know when to have fun. That is when I noticed  my moods started changing, in a good environment I would be very hyperactive for days on end, and buying things I did not need, I would have too much fun then later I would switch into a depressive episode; during the depression I would sleep all day without stepping outside, and couldn’t bring myself to do any activities, I could not tell what was going on with me.

I did well in school and I was admitted in the university, life did not get any better here I used to be called crazy due to my hyperactivity and depression which was accompanied by suicidal thoughts. However, things were about to change for the better, one day during a mental health talk that was organized by the school I got to realize I could be having a mental health problem. I continued to attend the talks but did not speak up on my first session, I thought my story was going to spread throughout the school.

The more I learnt about mental health the more I realized just how much stigma I had endured throughout my life up to this point decided to seek for help and that is when I was diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder, PTSD and other problems like anxiety after showing signs of suicide.  When I got better I took the initiative to join the school mental health club where I felt it was a safe space to share my story. Later on I heard that BASIC NEEDS BASIC RIGHTS KENYA were looking for mental health champions to run a campaign on stigma in mental health, I applied to  attend the training which equipped me with skills on how to help people speak up about mental health and to let them know they are not alone in the fight through sharing my story 

Khisa-A mental health champion (Lived experience leadership Part2)

If beauty meets brains was a person her name would be Khisa; and I mean every description of beautiful that has ever been put forward, you only need to spend 10 minutes with her to feel her young and refreshing energy. The older women can comfortably say they have done a good job raising a generation and can retire with a smile. Free certified WHO training

See Khisa's journey as a lived experienced leader.

I started my journey in mental health when I was a young girl. I had my first panic attack at 5 years old and my first diagnosis of depression 12 years later. I realized later that I had struggled with depression and anxiety several times during those 12 years. Before I got diagnosed, I had been in a full-blown depressive period for close to a whole year.

After my diagnosis, I decided to share my experience of mental health with others and educate them about mental health. The effort has allowed me to work with Time To Change(TTC) Global in collaboration with Basic Needs Basic Rights (BNBR) Kenya as a mental health advocate known as a ‘CHAMPION’ The programme encourages us take our power back by ending stigma and discrimination against people living with mental health problems. It has helped to open me up to greater healing and acceptance of mental health conditions.

I am now able to interact with other people who go through what I once went through, now understand that most of the traumas we face in life are by-products of neglected mental health problems and illnesses. I am now able to notice the early signs of a mental health problem and I am in a better position to reach out to someone experiencing poor mental health.

The TTC global initiative has opened my eyes to the various methods of self-care that can help improve mental health. Through the programme I have come to find out that there is a lack of proper information on mental health and this contributes to the stigma and discrimination associated with poor mental health. Through the initiative I have come to understand that speaking up about mental health is the surest way to end the stigma, thus create more safe spaces for anyone who might be going through a hard time.

I can gladly say that the statistics concerning mental health are getting better in Kenya and worldwide which means, we are headed in the right direction which is creating a world that takes care of mental health, as well as body health. I am more at peace with my experiences and more capable of creating the reality I want. I am now the master of my own life and the writer of my own story. I have not had a relapse into depression and can count on myself not to feel anxious about anything in life.

Lived Experience Leadership

Ever heard of the phrase “let us hear it from the horse’s mouth” why is it important for the horse to say what we can so comfortably say for him? Some might say it is because “until the lion learns to speak, all the stories will glorify the hunter.” Others might say…? Answer with a proverb only.

When it comes to mental health, huge damages have been done involuntarily by people who felt they understood more about what people with a lived experience of a mental health problem needed, it wasn’t until when they found their voices that we experienced a paradigm shift in the way we have treated mental health. Free certified WHO course

See stories from champions with a lived experience of mental health problems

 Ever since I was young, I have always been described as a happy person, free spirited and very social. I have always had big dreams and aspirations, and I would put my all into everything I did and by normal standards I was quite successful at an early age. My story begins early 2008 when I started noticing some changes within me. I was extremely irritable, and I would go off at the slightest provocation, I was always crying for no apparent reason, I had intense feelings of loneliness and worthlessness which led me to turn to alcohol. The biggest battle of them all was struggling with suicidal thoughts. All these symptoms caused me to loath myself as I felt like I was ungrateful for the things God had blessed me with, and this took me on a downward spiral.

Fast forward to 2015, the feelings I had been experiencing were at an all-time high. I was now drinking heavily on a daily and sometimes I would drink alone. I would struggle to go to the office whether I have a hangover or not. In June of that year, I collapsed in the office and was rushed to hospital, this begun a very painful chapter in my life. I was in and out of hospital for about two months as the doctors could not come up with a diagnosis. After seeing different specialists, I was finally diagnosed by a neurologist who then referred me to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist confirmed that I was suffering from severe depression and anxiety disorder and he immediately put me on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs. The diagnosis brought me a lot of relief because the symptoms I had been experiencing for seven years all made sense. One would imagine things would immediately get better, however they took a turn for the worst. I had to move back home to my parent’s place, I was not able to go back to work for about nine months and all I did was lock myself up in my bedroom with curtains drawn, constantly crying and sleeping.

In early 2016, I decided to go back to work but it was such a huge struggle since I was not fully recovered. I decided to quit my job and start a business which only lasted one and a half years and I had to close it down. I could not bear the pain of the two losses and this pushed me to the brink of almost taking my life. One lonely night as I was planning my suicide, I thought about the pain I had been through and realized that God would not take me through all that for nothing. That was in October 2018 when I decided I shall use my pain to help others. Through my pain, I have come to discover my purpose and my hope is that one day through my work of sharing my story, creating awareness using social media platforms i.e. Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, giving talks at different forums and giving peer to peer counselling we will eventually have a stigma free society.

How to help someone with depression

Feeling down or depressed from time to time is normal. But if these feelings last 2 weeks or more, or start to affect everyday life, this can be a sign of depression.

Depression can develop slowly. Someone who's depressed doesn't always realize or acknowledge that they're not feeling or behaving as they usually do.

Signs that someone may be depressed

You may notice that someone:

• has lost interest in doing things they normally enjoy
• seems to be feeling down or hopeless
• has slower speech and movements or is more fidgety and restless than usual
• feels tired or doesn't have much energy
• is overeating or has lost their appetite
• is sleeping more than usual or isn't able to sleep
• has trouble concentrating on everyday things, such as watching TV or reading the paper

Signs of depression in older people

Depression in older people can include:

• empty fridges and cupboards (which suggest a poor diet)
• neglected appearance
• poor hygiene
• someone showing little joy in receiving visitors

Tips to help someone who seems down

1. Let them know you care and are there to listen.
2. Accept them as they are, without judging them.
3. Gently encourage them to help themselves – for example, by staying physically active, eating a balanced diet and doing things they enjoy.
4. Get information about the services available to them, such as psychological therapy services or depression support groups in their area.
5. Stay in touch with them by messaging, texting, phoning or meeting for coffee. People who are depressed can become isolated and may find it difficult to leave their home.
6. Try to be patient.