GYN CHRONICLES
Mental Health : Depression
By Dr . Maureen Owiti
It is a very sad moment as I pen this column . We , the gynaeclogical doctor community , have lost one of our colleagues , Dr . James Gakara who succumbed in ICU following “ suicide .” I have deliberately put suicide in quotes as I am not the investigating officer , and like most of us , I do not know the exact sequence of events . The court of public opinion has spoken and some including our very own colleagues have castigated and condemned daktari . May his soul rest in eternal peace .
I dedicate this column to anyone who has been affected by suicide , more so Dr . Gakara , his family both immediate and in-laws and especially his wife who must be the biggest casualty in this disaster . As you are reading you may already be silent but requesting a moment to reflect on lives of people who have succumbed to suicide .
There is another epidemic that is slowly but surely creeping into society - depression . We have always found our colleagues in psychiatry very interesting but it seems they are onto something .
As I said I do not know what happened on that fateful day and cannot fathom what would lead a successful doctor with what appeared to be a “ happy family ” to such extreme actions . Unfortunately , what has been reported is that it is alleged that he poisoned his children with some substance and did the same for himself and eventually succumbed on the 22 nd of September 2021 .
Some people have labelled him a monster especially because of the two very young innocent children involved . For me where did we drop the ball and are we only taking notice because it is our colleague ?
Unfortunately you only know the stories or tragedies of those around you . That is also what has befallen one of my other colleagues . They get home from work to find their university son dangling from the roof of the sitting room . What is not happening ?
What is leading to these serious acts of hopelessness . Is it Covid ? The state of the economy ? 2022 elections ? Alcohol ? Drug abuse ? I wish I had the answer !! Yes this is not my territory , however because a fellow gynaecologist has taken his own life I feel we must explore how to prevent further deaths from this .
“ What is this animal called depression ? Doctor google gives this description : “ Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel , the way you think and how you act . Fortunately , it is also treatable . Depression causes feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed .”
It is ironic but recently it was World Suicide prevention day that is marked annually on 10 th September . Other non gynaecologists are not spared from this menace . We can remember the paediatric registrar who took her own life . Others were a judge in Kisumu , the PWC accountant who jumped from a building and I ’ m sure we all remember the saga around police officer Caroline Kangongo . Kenyans are very interesting , who can forget the memes going round warning men about Kangongo prior to her demise .
What is this animal called depression ? Our favorite search engine i . e . doctor google gives this description : “ Depression ( major depressive disorder ) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel , the way you think and how you act . Fortunately , it is also treatable . Depression causes feelings of sadness and / or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed .”
What causes depression ?
No one really knows the exact cause of depression however , Web M . D . my go to search engine for all things medical for patients explains that lots of things can increase the chance of depression , such as :
Abuse : Physical , sexual , or emotional abuse can make you more vulnerable to depression
Age : People who are elderly are at higher risk of depression . That can be made worse by other factors , such as living alone and having a lack of social support .
Certain medications : Some drugs , such as isotretinoin ( used to treat acne ), the antiviral drug interferon-
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