21-07-2026 | CAPUCHIN TV LIVE | Tranquil Med | Breaking the Silence: Everyday Mental Health

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[00:01:19]>> Behind the scenes, our teams work together to uphold the highest standards [music] of care. Healing doesn't have to be lonely. Together, we can grow stronger. [music] Hello dear viewer, welcome for an exclusive interview with me Moren Kimani right here on Capuin TV as we bring you a very interesting conversation that touches each and every one of us that is breaking the silence everyday mental health and again just to give you an overview about mental health is not just about mental illness it's about how we think feel with life's challenges and relate to those around us just like our physical child. Our mental well-being deserves care, attention and compassion.

[00:02:14]So join us and do stick around as we unpack this conversation. Why mental health is a conversation that we need to talk not only just a monthly conversation but everyday conversation?

[00:02:26]Why is it so vital for one to have a good mental well-being? And joining me for this conversation, we have a representative from Tranquil Med Center here in Karin. and he will be telling telling us more about the facility and about the conversation. So welcome. Do not hesitate to reach out to us in case you have any question on 0717424866 or you can use the SMS number that is 21760.

[00:02:52]Do send us your question your feedback about a conversation and we'll be reading as we continue with our talk. So Karibana Victor >> thank you very much Meen for having me.

[00:03:03]I'm very delighted to to be here >> and thank you for making time to thank you.

[00:03:08]>> Because it's our first time we're having you in a conversation today. Could you kindly uh tell the viewers more about yourself and of course about the facility itself?

[00:03:17]>> Okay. So um hello everyone. My name is Victor Kibuga. I am a clinical psychologist at Tranquil Med Center at Karin. Basically Tranquil Med Center is a mental health hospital. We focus on all mental health aspects. uh basically from uh psychiatry to psychology and every other thing that encompasses um mental health. We are located at uh Karin as I said earlier um along Mamba village uh guro lane gate 10 that's where you find us and we offer a huge area of services at our facility. Yes.

[00:03:54]>> Mhm.

[00:03:54]>> And how long have we been in existence?

[00:03:56]Okay. So, Tranquil has been in existence from uh 2020 uh back in the co times to this particular time 2026. So, that's approximately 6 years.

[00:04:08]>> Yes.

[00:04:08]>> All right. Let's start by having this conversation cuz I understand that we shall be talking about the myth. We shall be also discussing the common warning signs that people should pay attention to. I don't think that people understand how mental health is a huge topic and a huge conversation in today's life and even the past years it's something that people didn't have an idea it's all about mental health. So break it down for us what is mental health and why is it important for us to talk about mental health especially today and again just to take you back the last month we've been celebrating and of course creating awareness on men's mental health >> but again as I was having a discussion with you before we began the show >> until we hit the 31st of June >> we have not had anyone talking about men's mental health awareness the conversation ended there >> tell us more about this mental health.

[00:05:05]>> Okay. So, thank you for the question.

[00:05:07]It's a very good question because many times as you said, not many people understand what mental health is. For the longest time, people have thought mental health is when someone is going mad and that's the stereotype that people have about mental health. Uh which leads them not to actually focus on the problem at hand because it's actually an emerging problem. And of course, as you said, uh last month being men's mental health month, don't not many people actually knew about it, especially now that you mentioned men.

[00:05:36]Many times men are overlooked in this conversation about mental health. And uh mostly it's because of I think the ignorance around mental health. Uh there's no proper education or structures that have been said to educate people about what it is and especially men who barely talk about their issues. So again, that's a conversation that's very important that we need to have. And as opposed to having just one month, I'd suggest let every month be a mental health month for everybody. Not just the men, the women, the teenagers, the children, everybody is part of this conversation.

[00:06:07]>> Yes.

[00:06:08]>> And why is it so important to ensure that your mental well-being is catered for, >> right? So I'll use a very good analogy about uh the mind. The mind is basically the processor or the CPU of the of the body. And I tell people when your body is sick, your mind tells your body it is unwell. But then think about when your mind is sick, there's no capability, there's nothing to tell the mind that it is sick. And so mental health is very important because it encompasses not just your psychological well-being, it also encompasses your emotional well-being and your social well-being.

[00:06:44]So all the these three things are very important when it comes to mental health. If your mental health is not balanced or is not in the right state then it means you'll suffer psychologically, emotionally and of course socially which is part of your physical wellbeing. So that's why mental health is actually very very important.

[00:07:01]>> Yes.

[00:07:01]>> And again just to break it down how do you tell a person's mental health is not okay? How when you look at a person perhaps when you look at me can you tell this person is okay and this person is not okay depending on how they're behaving? Well, there are indicators to show that someone could actually be in a bad state of mental health. Uh well, ideally uh there are traditional ways that used to establish you know someone is not okay. But then lately people are something we call in psychology masking.

[00:07:31]People have become so good at masking or pretending that things are okay. So nowadays it's not very outright or straightforward that you can look at someone and say they're not okay because people are trying to smile their best.

[00:07:42]people are trying to be in their best uh you know uh mood and sometimes I know you've heard about someone that you maybe have heard about or a friend and they'll tell you that I was with a colleague who seemed very happy very excited but then unfortunately they died by suicide for example and people ask themselves the question did it happen overnight uh what changed during the few hours that we were not together but then I tell people it's not those few hours actually if you observe closely you realize that there are patterns or indicators that can tell someone is actually suffering For example, the first states uh that someone you can actually tell someone is not going through, you know, a good opportunity or time within their their their season in their life. Uh they may start to be withdrawn, right? So you find somebody who was usually very social, very energetic, very talkative, all of a sudden they they try to withdraw and sometimes you may not actually notice because maybe you think they are just too busy or life has become, you know, there's a lot in the economy that's happening. And so you may not even realize that they're withdrawn.

[00:08:43]So that's one of the key indicators that you can realize. Number two, you start to realize that people are switching from their actual behavior. For example, somebody who used to be very uh polite or very calm. They may start to become irritable. So you find you're trying to talk to somebody and they are like, you know, don't bother me. I'm busy. You know, I don't want to talk about this conversation. Uh it could also come out physically. You could see their emotions are not in their right state. You could see they are probably, you know, very tired physically. So there are many indicators that you can actually look at and tell. But then if you don't look at it very closely, you may actually miss some of these things. And that's where now education needs to come in for people to know what do I look out for.

[00:09:27]>> Yes.

[00:09:28]>> All right. And how long should you pay attention to someone just to observe how long they've been behaving in a certain way.

[00:09:35]>> Right. So uh usually from one mental health case to another it actually depends because how frequently are you interacting with this particular person.

[00:09:44]If it's somebody that you're seeing every day means you're able to notice these things sooner. If somebody that you see once in a while you may not even be able to realize and sometimes you have friends or people folks who are away and you maybe talk on phone. So it may be very difficult to actually notice. So I I tell people try to check on other people as frequently as you can. As much as you could be busy engaged in other things, at least every week try check on somebody and you try to figure out if they're actually okay and you realize that you find that people are not actually okay as they they say.

[00:10:13]>> Yeah.

[00:10:13]>> Okay. And again I we've heard maybe some people say that you cannot define mental health. I I mean it's very difficult to define mental health because sometimes you may be stressed out >> and sometimes I people confuse mental health issues and stress.

[00:10:31]>> How can you differentiate between the two?

[00:10:34]>> Okay, that's a very good question which I I get all the time. So how do I know that I'm actually in a bad place when it comes to mental health? So stress is a normal part of life. Every day there is something that is going to happen that is not within your expectation or within your control which is going to stress you out. I tell people stress is your body's reaction to things that you know basically are out of your control or things that are actually bombarding you at a particular time. So for example going to work is already a stressor. You know waking up beating Nairobi traffic that gives you a lot of stress. For example if your salary is late that is a stressor. Your landlord is on the door that's a stress. You know there are many things that can stress you and that's part of life. But then when these things are you know solved and you're able to return back to a normal state then that's just normal stress. So it's just a matter of finding a solution for it.

[00:11:27]But then you realize when now mental health challenges come in is where now even as you're trying to cope with this some some of these challenges you realize that even your ability to cope is inhibited and you find that this stress is continuous for a long duration of time. Now that's when you start to say you know something's actually wrong.

[00:11:43]I need to seek some attention or some help. Mhm. Yeah.

[00:11:46]>> Okay. And again just to I think we shall be giving an example with men >> like uh you find there is the stereotypes in the society that men are not supposed to cry. So they're not supposed to show emotions when they are having the mental breakdown.

[00:12:04]>> I don't know if you've ever come across yourself. [laughter] >> When I'm seeing my clients, they tell you how their background looks like. And this is such an African thing. If you go to the western world, people are able to express themselves freely. And partly I can you know blame our culture. Not that culture is bad but then there are aspects of culture that have inhibited us from moving forward.

[00:12:29]Uh men have been raised to be strong people to be lions you know don't cry, don't be afraid. Uh look at a girl how they are pumpered and how they are nurtured. When a boy is you know nurtured like that they say you're spoiling him you know he's not be going to become a man but then being a man does not mean you are separate from your emotions as a man in fact a man is a person who is able to identify with the emotions express the emotions in a healthy way and cope with the emotions.

[00:12:58]So ideally when a man cries I it's a good thing you should cry but then it doesn't mean as a man you cry all the time. You know, men are expected to to find solutions for things, but then if you're overwhelmed, it's okay to cry. It helps you, you know, relieve the stress.

[00:13:11]It helps you, you know, cope with what you're actually going through. So, crying is healthy. And encouragement, please, if you need to cry, cry. It's it's good. But then don't cry all the time.

[00:13:21]>> Yeah.

[00:13:22]>> It's not like the women who steps outside and just start screaming out of nothing.

[00:13:29]>> Okay. All right. I mean um let's take a look on our country situation right now.

[00:13:35]A lot is going on. We have um just the other day we had the Utumishi fire breakout at Utumishi girls.

[00:13:45]>> Take a look theism Mandano. Just the other day >> we have abductions in our country.

[00:13:52]>> I mean even when you're walking on the road you have fear something might happen to you.

[00:13:58]I don't know how do we go about this as a country >> if there's a problem because sometimes if you take a look even the the breaking ins of people stealing other people's property it's because they have issues.

[00:14:11]>> True.

[00:14:12]>> How do you go about this and how do you tell this person is suffering not because of money issues or stress but mental illness? That's a very tough conversation that I believe it's the right time for as a country to have because everywhere you go, uh, everybody's stressed out from the children to the teens to the, you know, middle-aged people to the old people. I I don't know if you've experienced this.

[00:14:38]You try to say hi to somebody on the street and they look at you as if what's wrong with you? Are you okay? you know and you find people doing all manner of ridiculous things on the streets and that's a huge indicator in the country that things are not actually okay when it comes to our mental health >> because we I think as a country we've learned to cope by you know just avoiding problems I believe you've normalized the abnormal which is actually not not true I hear many people say after after the coid9 pandemic things have not been the same maybe that's when we started to we see these things because I believe it's been there uh you know From 2020, people were able to come together uh by force. Of course, not everybody wanted to be there. The quarantine allowed people to interact.

[00:15:21]You're confined within your space with your family. The things that you've been hiding or suppressing now start to come out. So, a lot of anger, a lot of anxiety, a lot of you know resentment and of course people are very very irritable at this particular point in time. So as a country I believe this is something that we need to take note of and anyone out there that you have noticed a family member a friend or even yourself you feel like you're just overwhelmed seek for help you know try to talk to somebody especially a professional just not just anybody on the street and of course lately you have a lot of professionals yeah but then it's important that you know who you're talking to uh so that that way you're able to you know share we say that a problem shared is a problem half solved.

[00:16:03]So that's where we begin acknowledging that there's a problem and then from there now we can start the conversation and just try to see how the solutions can actually come about.

[00:16:12]>> Yes.

[00:16:13]>> All right. And I I don't know if you have ever come across from your patients and from your expertise side of it >> cuz sometimes you find a a person loses a family member and >> by the time they're griefing about it, they turn into depression. But again the society or when they come to visit you and see how you're coping up with the situation they'll tell you you'll know you'll be okay. So most of the times many people don't seek help.

[00:16:42]>> How do you find griefing?

[00:16:44]>> Yeah.

[00:16:45]>> As a mental health perhaps illness cuz most of the times they find themselves in depression >> they start taking med some sometimes you get you have a headache you take medicine you just treat yourself by overthe-counter medication. and you don't seek help from the expert side.

[00:17:02]For example, coming to your facility to talk to a person, to a counselor, to a psychologist.

[00:17:08]>> What happens?

[00:17:10]>> Well, that's a another very important question that you just asked because uh grief [snorts] is processed differently by different people depending on the background or even how close this particular person is. I know grief is not just the loss of somebody could be the loss of a job, the loss of a of a relationship, the loss of a partnership.

[00:17:29]So all that we categorize it as grief and actually categorized in the statistical and diagnostics manual five which you use for diagnosis as a mental health issue and as a mental disorder.

[00:17:42]Uh this is when somebody is not able to move past the loss, right? And you find that many people actually try to put it inside. When it comes to grief, there are five stages of grief. We label them dabda. Dabda, depression, uh anger, um bargaining, uh you know, what's the other one? Um den, oh sorry, the first one is denial and then the the second is depression and then now acceptance. So these stages are not linear. you find that sometimes somebody will go through uh the denial part and then shortly accept but then go back to uh you know the bargaining or the depression part of it. So again it's just being able to process it in a healthy way. That's what usually lacks for many people because now grief happens, a loss happens, you're thinking about it, you don't know how to talk about it and of course with the many things around you, you may not be able to pay attention to what is actually happening. So once you are able to understand that this thing is not linear, you give yourself some grace, some time, you talk to a professional about it and then you start to accept slowly because again it's not something that happens immediately. There are people able to accept it immediately and they move forward but there are people who cycle back every other day. So again it's something that needs awareness so that somebody's able to deal with it in the right way.

[00:19:02]>> Yes.

[00:19:03]>> Okay. Yeah. And uh once you feel your mental health is not well and you're not okay, sometimes I think it's very important for us to pay attention to ourselves cuz some people and your friends might recognize >> Morin, you're not okay. The way you doing your stuffs nowadays, >> something is not okay.

[00:19:24]>> But then we don't tend to listen to the voices from our friends.

[00:19:29]>> We're so occupied in ourselves.

[00:19:32]Sometimes we don't even recognize. Oh, by the way, my friend said I'm not okay.

[00:19:37]>> Right?

[00:19:38]>> So, how do we evaluate ourselves?

[00:19:41]>> Okay, that that reminds me of a concept in psychology known as the Johari window, which is basically a window format where it has four uh spaces. The first part is where you know about something that you know about yourself or things that you know about yourself that others don't know about. I'm sure as you as moring there are many things or secrets that you have about yourself that not many people know. In fact, not nobody else knows about, right? There's another section where things that you don't know about yourself but other people know about. And so that's where people tell you, you know, you're like this, maybe you're you're could be good things, could be negative things.

[00:20:16]Sometimes you tell somebody, you know, you yell every time you talk to people, you know, you do this and do that. And many times you're not able to accept it.

[00:20:23]And then there's a part where you're constantly learning about things, things that are new every day. So you keep discovering things about yourself. And then the other part is things that you know about yourself and other people know about you. So they tell you, Morin, you are like this. And you actually, yeah, I know I'm talented. I'm a talented presenter. So those are basically what sum up the Johari window.

[00:20:43]So yes, it's very possible that other people can see that you have problems or there are things that you're struggling with that you may not be able to see. So again, it calls for self-awareness when you acknowledge that I'm not 100% that I can make mistakes, that I'm a work in progress. And so being able to actually be humble enough to accept what people tell me, you know, sometimes people will tell you things that are not true, but then being able to sit with yourself and evaluate when somebody said that I made them feel like this, is it really true?

[00:21:11]sit down, learn about yourself and you realize that with time you're able to understand that you know what these people are actually right and I need to do something about it. So self-awareness is the first thing and then humility to accept because again uh let me say even Africans are very egoistic. Even if I know I'm wrong I will not accept. So it comes a lot from from the self-awareness aspect.

[00:21:32]>> Okay. And again let's talk about childhood traumas cuz I think we all have gone through something you know upbringing but then you find you may have a situation that you came across when you were a child but then >> once you grow up >> it keeps on disturbing you but then you don't seek help >> how do we deal with our childhood traumas first of all >> because I think it also contributes to our mental >> well Yes.

[00:22:02]>> So, childhood trauma I'd say is almost the major contributor of most mental health challenges because again as I said circumstances and issues of life are expected but then the coping aspect of it is totally dependent on yourself.

[00:22:18]How have you been able to build resilience for things?

[00:22:22]>> So when it comes to childhood uh developments we talk about two aspects the environment and then uh the genetics. So there are mental health challenges that could emanate from your genetics. The way you'd have diabetes or you may have other issues uh in the in the body. You may also have mental health challenges like depression passed up you know from the parent to the offspring. Number two is the environment which shapes you where you've been nurtured where have you grown up what kind of parents were your parents loving? Were they present? Were they uh disciplinarians to a point where they beat you enough you wanted to run away from home. So all these factors actually influence uh the way somebody grows up and how they able to cope with mental challenges. And so as you said uh it's very possible to work on your childhood traumas. Uh the discoverer of the the concept it's called the psychoanalytic theory of development by one sigma and fraud. That's basically where we draw that reference from. And he says he talks about unfinished business where if there are things in your childhood that were not dealt with or you're not able to process, they'll obviously affect you in your adulthood. So when you understand this concept, you're able to actually sit down and process those things, look back and see where was I hurt as a child. What did my mother say that remains with me to this very uh present day? What did my father do? What did my teacher do? Uh what are the things that I witnessed? Maybe I witnessed something very gruesome and I've not been able to process it. Now that's where healing starts. But then again, you need guided uh you know direction from a professional to help you actually know how to go about it step by step.

[00:24:00]>> Yes.

[00:24:02]>> Amazing. I'm loving this conversation and I think I had talked about some of the stereotypes that we face in our today's world and in our society especially that you mentioned African to be specific. We've seen very and had so many conversation going through about mental health.

[00:24:20]>> Yes.

[00:24:21]>> What are some of the myths that you have come across about cuz first of all people think mental health once you okay perhaps it might be some witchcraft from the society. So someone made they say juju. Yeah. They did a juju on you and you just went mad.

[00:24:39]>> Sometimes you find um people say if you study a lot your brain will go crazy.

[00:24:47][laughter] >> So what are some of the stereotypes that you've heard about this conversation that you want to clear about you our viewers?

[00:24:55]>> Okay, the first one is actually what you mentioned that is basically out there. I feel like once you're born something is in put in you that you know when you see somebody behaving like this they they are bewitched or they cast which is not very true because Africans of course we build a lot of uh our cultures are built uh a lot in in instilling fear sometimes so for people to be able to continue in a certain path there you know fear is instilled by that and so I'd like to tell people that's not true mental health issues are not you've not been bewitched you've not been cast it's a normal sickness like you'd have a common cold or any other sickness. So, that's one of the first uh myths and stereotypes that I've had. Number two is people who talk about mental health make it worse. I've heard that a lot. When you talk about your issues, people will get to hear about it. They'll see you differently. You're going [music] to be, you know, not going to get any you're going to be judged. And I hear that a lot, which is not very true because again, the moment you speak out, you create an opportunity to be heard. As much as you may have had a bad experience, maybe you saw somebody or you probably tried to speak out at some point, it's very important to speak out.

[00:26:03]It's it's it's psychologically healing to speak out.

[00:26:08]Another stereotype or myth that I've heard is um mental health challenges only affect the poor people.

[00:26:15]>> Yeah.

[00:26:16]>> So, I've heard that a lot that these things are you you are stressed because you don't have money. You know, you are you have depression because you don't have money. But I would like to tell people everybody is affected by mental challenges whether you're rich or poor.

[00:26:30]It's not a class uh thing. It's basically every human as much as you have blood flowing within you there's a opportunity or capacity for you to actually have mental health challenges.

[00:26:42]So that among many other stereotypes that I hear every other day and especially in the African context that this it's a it's a it's a westernized thing. uh you Africans, you you know that you're just exaggerating and especially the exaggerating part that people who have mental health challenges are trying to seek for attention or trying to to put themselves out there to be you know people to have sympathy on them which is not true because these things are real. We deal with them every day. We see people and it can affect you and and and me as well. So it's not something that is farfetched. It's actually very true.

[00:27:16]>> Yes. And still on that conversation, something I've I've maybe come to see from the society is when you find maybe a parent has a child who has mental health issues, they tend to close them up in a room, not exposing them to um the world and to the to other family members.

[00:27:38]>> How can how can that affect one's mental health? And again, can it be worse? Because sometimes I you know enclosing someone in a room.

[00:27:48]>> Yeah.

[00:27:49]>> When you have so many thoughts going around you it can even make you go crazy.

[00:27:54]>> How damage do they cause to these children and to even these elders? Cuz sometimes you find they began when they were very little but once they grow up they still have the same treatment from their family members and from their parents. Right. Uh I'd say it causes an catastrophic catastrophic uh damage because the moment you look up a child these are we call them developmental milestones. Uh some of these sicknesses or mental health challenges affect the developmental aspect of a child you know. So things like autism for example you find that because of the stigma in the society about uh such conditions like autism the parent feels ashamed.

[00:28:36]What will the community think? They think maybe I'm bewitched. They'll think maybe I am I committed a sin and my ancestors are out to punish me or God is not pleased with me. And so they take it upon themselves to lock this child up.

[00:28:50]And you remember you're punishing this child for a mistake that was not theirs, you know. And so it it comes again back to having a conversation about uh making mental health issues a conversation that's very important. telling people that mental health issues can affect anybody and everybody and so as you seeing how much damage this child grows up traumatized because again they're not even able to express themselves there we call them for example autism has a spectrum it's called ASD autism spectrum disord uh uh spectrum sorry it's a spectrum where now depending on the severity so somebody could be very uh uh let me say could be severe on the on the spectrum of autism and somebody could have mild autism and which is very functional. So you find that if you're looking up this child, they're not able to communicate for example, they're not able to socialize with people. This affects them. And in psychology, you say that humans are social beings. So the moment you deny this person their right to express themselves, first of all, you're violating their rights. Secondly, you are denying them the opportunity to become even better because these conditions actually are pos it's possible to improve with time. Yeah. So he causes a lot of damage because this child grows up thinking they're not loved, they hated, they animals and you find many of them don't even make it to many years because of the conditions that they're kept in. So it's such a bad and unfortunate uh uh occurrence that people need to actually know and be educated about.

[00:30:17]>> Yes.

[00:30:18]>> Okay. And uh that takes us to the support system. How can families and society support the parents who have such kind of kids? There is the for example that you've g given out the autism >> patient I mean kids they have in the families >> what can we do because I think it's a huge conversation for also the religious men and women >> in the society that uh we can have from the churches from our chamas from >> maybe our hotels that we can have for example nowadays you find people preaching in a tattoo.

[00:30:58]>> So I think we can also help people amplifying this conversation about mental health. So how can we support um the people who are concerned in this conversation by supporting them morally, spiritually >> and physically by walking with them through this journey?

[00:31:17]>> How do you go about it?

[00:31:18]>> So I'd say first the first thing starts with educating ourselves. So if I'm going to help somebody with a challenge, I need to understand what that challenge looks like. I need to be empathetic enough to put myself in their shoes. So when I I I tell people maybe find resources to learn about some of these conditions. There are many conditions like bipolar, schizophrenia and many others which are widely misunderstood.

[00:31:40]So if I take my time as a person who doesn't understand what this is read because there's a lot of resources out there. There's YouTube, there's Google, there's AI. You can do a lot of research. In fact, you can learn a lot from AI than you could have learned even from YouTube many years ago. you know a couple of years ago. So it starts with first educating yourself about what these conditions are like. Then I'm able to gain capacity to help someone else.

[00:32:04]Number two is creating a conducive environment. Uh which means I'm not a person who is judgmental. So for example, if somebody shares with me that they are um depressed, how do I react to that information? Do I go out and tell other people? Do I handle it with care?

[00:32:20]Do I spread rumors about this person? at least I should be able to you know create a safe space for other people to be able to you know express themselves around me. Number three is also creating resources around mental health. So this would look like uh you talked about matus where you can find groups of young people who can mobilize themselves to take it upon themselves to spread this gospel of mental health. find facilities like ourselves which we actually on every Sunday we offer addiction support programs where people come and talk about addiction and so on and so forth.

[00:32:52]So such uh you know opportunities where we can actually create it and and take it as become ambassadors of this information could be a long way in you know getting to support some of these individuals >> and maybe probably >> apart from gaining information is also working on our character as well because personally if I'm a person who inflicts pain on other people we say in psychology that hurt people hurt other people so if I'm going to be a good support system I need to also work on myself work on my character How do I react to other people? How do I treat other people? And then once I'm able to do that, I believe that is a place to start as far as uh support is is concerned.

[00:33:32]>> Yes.

[00:33:33]>> And I love that you mentioned about uh addiction. When you look up uh our genesis nowadays, >> the technology have really advanced, >> right?

[00:33:44]>> Whatever we're watching in our smartphone, we're watching in our screen, it can either damage or build you. How do we try to minimize or maximize about the the technology nowadays? Cuz I I I feel the there might be connection about our mental health >> and the technology bit of it cuz whatever we watch, the movies we watch, it can either it can actually affect you in a different way cuz all of us consume information >> in a very different way.

[00:34:17]>> Absolutely.

[00:34:17]>> Yeah. So how does technology play a role in mental wellbeing?

[00:34:23]>> A huge role in fact because uh technology is is both a good thing and a bad thing especially in our present age.

[00:34:31]Uh there's something called social media addiction or even technology addiction for that matter. Uh what happens if you realize how things are done on social media nowadays realize they are very short uh entertaining videos. This is very deliberate because it hooks you. Uh you'd find people nowadays are not able to sit through even a whole movie 1 hour, 30 minutes or two hours because you want to see the plot and you want to experience it and finish and go to the next. And so that's an addictive pattern because it raises uh your dopamine levels. Dopamine is that quick rush of of of happiness or joy and gives you instant gratification. So the moment you're constantly used to this, every time I open Tik Tok, I see a video, I go to the next, I go to the next, I'm training my mind to be addicted to this content. And so it's affecting both young people and even older people now because you find people older women and men constantly on their phone on Facebook, on Tik Tok or on WhatsApp just trying to find out what's happening.

[00:35:34][snorts] And that's such a danger because again, if you get addicted to it, it becomes less beneficial. So yes, there needs to be a balance between how we manage social media and also just finding time to be outside technology.

[00:35:46]Go out in nature, walk, we we say touch grass, you know, just go outside and and explore nature and just feel the nature.

[00:35:53]Put your phone away for for for some hours. There are people who walk with a phone and a power bank and another power bank for the power bank, you know, so that you're online the whole time. So go off the grid for some time. I believe it helps your mind to think better, right?

[00:36:07]So technology is both good because you get to learn from it but then it can also be addictive and it's affecting even children uh you see children everybody has an iPad right children are not able to play until they have you know teletubbies or something played that's not a good thing it in fact it builds uh susceptibility for conditions like ADHD where a child is hooked and they you know they become very impulsive and become very angry. So you take away this device and the child is has a tantrum. They want to beat you up. They want to shout and scream. That's a dangerous pattern. So it's something we need to to to c and control.

[00:36:44]>> Yes.

[00:36:44]>> And the [laughter] >> Yes. Okay. All right. Well, I I think uh we've been able to talk about um the introduction bit of the mental health and some of the signs that people need to watch your and we have mentioned about the support but uh something that we need to understand when one walks into your facility >> to seek help to come in to talk to your psychologist there to your counselors there about their mental health issues.

[00:37:17]What happens? Can you take us through about it?

[00:37:19]>> So basically the moment you check in to a facility uh you'll be ushered uh by the reception basically to get to know what nature of help do you need. As you said we have psychiatric help we have psychological help. We also have other tests that can be done basically in a normal hospital but then our priorities the mental health aspect. So once you come and uh you know basically able to communicate the service that you need uh they're able to queue you in our system uh we take most insuranceances. So you have insurance it's it's actually good because many people say that mental health is not affordable. But then if you have an insurance cover it's able it's good also again to inquire what it covers. most insuranceances which is actually a good progress in mental health are able to support uh psychological uh support and of course psychiatric assessments. So once you're able to tell us what you're paying with maybe insurance or cash you are queued in and then you are allowed to see the the person that you want to see. So it's such an easy process just come what service do you need? I need a psychiatrist. They queue in it's insurance you get to pay. It's cash you pay and you wait for your your your service and it's such an easy process.

[00:38:28]Okay. And something I know our viewers are asking themselves, are you open every day? Do you have inatient? Do you have outpatients? I think you can clarify about that.

[00:38:38]>> All right. So, our facility supports both uh inpatient and outpatients. Uh we have uh inpatient services. So, basically where you can come and just relax. We call it it's more of a holiday retreat. That's what I tell people. It's such a serene environment.

[00:38:54]>> Uh we have all forms of of therapy. You have art therapy, group therapy, occupational therapy, uh we have massage, we have games. So, it's such a serene space. In fact, people come there just to relax. You I've had a stressful week and because people are learning a lot about mental health. I don't need to be sick or unable to do things to check in myself into a facility. I can just come to relax over the weekend. And that's something most people actually get to do. And so, yes, uh we also have outpatient services. Just come uh for a daily visit. We open from Monday to Sunday. Uh between 8:00 a.m. 7:00 a.m.

[00:39:30]to 5:00 p.m. So anytime between those times, you can come check in. If it's an emergency service where you feel this person needs to be admitted or you need help, you you're not locked out, you can actually come in and you'll be attended to.

[00:39:43]>> Yes.

[00:39:44]>> All right. And I love the fact that you said you don't have to wait until you're sick. Yes.

[00:39:48]>> It's very important to take care of your mental wellbeing. For example, like women, we love ourselves. We have the pedicure, we have the manicure.

[00:39:55]>> So what are some of the simple habits that we can um >> promote to take care of our mental wellbeing?

[00:40:03]>> Okay.

[00:40:03]>> That is both for men and for women.

[00:40:06]>> And again, I think you can talk about the child a bit.

[00:40:10]>> Okay.

[00:40:10]>> Yeah. How can we support our children so that we don't expose themselves to the telet and the cocoon thing cuz you mentioned about the EDH.

[00:40:20]>> Yeah. how risky it is for a parent to even bring your child in such an environment.

[00:40:25]>> Okay. So, I think I'll start with the child aspect part of it.

[00:40:28]>> So, uh I tell people technology can help children and children nowadays are very smart. I I don't know if it's a it's a thing that's going on genetically. There needs to be tests for that. But children are very smart. As early as 1 and a half, 2 years, you can realize this child is picking up on language, picking up on behavior, is reacting to things.

[00:40:47]So, children are very, very smart. So as a parent it's it's a matter of control.

[00:40:52]I adise parents kids below 4 years old should not be given devices right and because again you're not just affecting them mentally even physically their eyes this devices have blue light which can be you know cause the child to have eyesight issues as they grow up. If you are to give them for school purposes for example 5 years and above is is a safe place to start but then should be controlled and monitored. Nowadays we have lock mechanisms on the phone or on the tablet which you can actually enable maybe for 20 minutes they can watch something uh and you can actually train them to know that this is not something that you shouldn't be entitled to watch this. It's something that is for you to learn and of course control what they are learning not just watch everything cuz there's a lot on social media that can also be very damaging. So that's a place to start. When it's controlled the time is controlled and it's strictly for educational purposes. So as they grow up again they have this discipline and they're not hooked to these devices.

[00:41:49]They can actually think for themselves.

[00:41:50]They can actually become very creative and discover things. Yeah.

[00:41:54]>> Onto the second question which you asked uh not waiting to be sick. Could you please clarify the question again?

[00:41:59]>> Yeah. When can we just walk into your facility?

[00:42:03]>> Yes.

[00:42:03]>> Right. So mental health should be like your daily the way you brush your teeth every day, the way you go to get your hair done, the way you go to dentist appointments. It should be something that's scheduled in your calendar at least a monthly basis. See a therapist, right? Because sometimes when these things, you know, pile up, you may not even realize it's happening.

[00:42:24]>> And uh I tell people, you know, your mind operates in two two dimensions. The first one is the conscious mind and the subconscious. So as we sit right here in this studio, your mind is already has already picked up all this information in this studio like the color or you know of the background like you know the table and everything even without your permission. So again, our brains are able to pick up this information. Could be trauma, could be stress, and sometimes it's accumulated and we don't know. And so if you do it the way you do for your your your your monthly dental appointment or your hair appointment or the pedicure that you're talking about, if it's done regularly, it becomes something that is manageable. So not seeing it as uh as a waste of money, as a waste of time. It's the way you service your car, go do have the oil changed or the filter or whatever, you know. So I I and I I I encourage people to have it something scheduled, something that is continuous and that way you don't wait until I'm very depressed, I'm very sick. That's when I realize, oh, I need to talk to somebody.

[00:43:25]>> Yes.

[00:43:26]>> Okay. All right. Thank you so much, Victor, for shedding more light to our conversation today. That is breaking the silence everyday mental health. And I'm sure our view have learned a lot about this conversation. And as we mentioned that it doesn't end here. So let's spread the gospel like we do. We talk about the Bible in case we do about mental health and with that we'll have a safe society, >> right?

[00:43:51]>> And save people.

[00:43:53]>> Exactly.

[00:43:54]>> Absolutely.

[00:43:55]>> Yes. Yes.

[00:43:55]>> So uh perhaps for that person who would like to visit to your facility and they would like to reach out to you, maybe you can give out your number how they can reach out to you.

[00:44:05]>> All right. So you can reach me by email which is victor.kuga Kibuga at tranquilmedcenter.com victor.kuga Kuga K I B U G A tranquil Med Center center center with a tr.com.

[00:44:24]>> So you can email us. Uh you could also go online and check our uh reception numbers. We'll have people who attend to you and you'll find the help that you need.

[00:44:34]>> Okay. All right. Thank you so much Victor for sharing your knowledge and helping us understand better on this important topic and we hope that today's discussion has encouraged you to prioritize your mental well-being and support others with kindness and compassion. My name is Morin Kimmani and our guest has been Victor from Tranquil Med Center. He is a clinical psychologist. See you next time and have a blessed day.

[00:45:02]>> Bye. Thank you. Thank you.

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