Team Kenya for next month’s Deaflympics in Brazil trained on mental health

Members of team Kenya for the forthcoming 24th Summer Deaflympics in Caxias Do Sul in Brazil have been advised to seek help whenever they suspect a mental disorder case.

Dr Rose Ngondi, a Clinical Psychologist at Chiromo Hospital Group while addressing the athletes who are camping at The Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani  on Friday ,she warned them against choosing to remain silent over a suspected mental problem likely to develop into a mental illness.

“When you find that you are so stressed, please talk to somebody within the team or outside.

The more you remain silent over a mental problem, the more the stress will affect your
mental health,” advised Dr Ngondi.

She spoke Friday April 8, 2022 at Stadion Hotel during a mental health awareness session organized for the athletes by the Ministry of Sports, in partnership with Chiromo Hospital Group.

Sports, Culture and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Amb. Amina Mohamed had Wednesday April 6, 2022 noted widespread mental illness within the sports fraternity.

Having taken the athletes through various forms of mental health disorders, which included; depression and anxiety, Dr Ngodi shared with them tips on how to overcome stressful situations.

“Engage in activities that make you feel good, for example dancing and listening to music. You can also engage the mind by reading a book and interacting with friends,” advised Dr Ngondi.

Her counterpart Victoria Rika counselled the athletes to take care of their mental health by using the 4 A’s coping mechanism of; avoiding unnecessary stress, adapting to the stress, accepting
that things can change and altering the situation.

The athletes pointed out stigma, lack of awareness and breach of privacy and confidentiality as some of the  factors which make them shy away  from seeking help.

At the 24 th Deaflympiad scheduled for May 1 to 15 In Brazil, Kenya will field athletes in five disciplines namely; athletics (men and women), football (women), basketball (men and women), handball (men and women) and golf (men).

The mental awareness workshop was the climax of a two-day conference during which the Deaflympics teams also benefitted from media relations training.

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