According to the Kenya Psychiatry Association, mental illness is defined as a health condition involving significant changes in thinking, emotion and or behaviour.

The condition as noted may cause disruptions in your thinking, feelings and behaviours making someone struggle with their relationships—with themselves, others, and the world around them. While there is no single cause of mental health disorders experts say multiple risk factors, including biological, environmental, and psychological influences cause the condition.

Globally, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in seven 10 to 19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 15 per cent of the global burden of disease in this age group. Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.