Conditions we treat
Understanding what you are facing
If what you are dealing with is not listed here, it does not mean we cannot help. Ask us.
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Conditions
Mood, anxiety & related conditions
Depression
Depression is not sadness. Many people with depression will tell you they do not feel sad. Instead, they feel flat, or nothing at all. Things they used to enjoy stop registering, sleep goes, small decisions become difficult, and getting through the working day takes everything they have. It responds well to treatment, and most people wait far longer than they need to.
Anxiety
Anxiety becomes a medical problem when it stops being about anything in particular. Constant worry, a racing heart, poor sleep, an inability to settle, avoiding ordinary things because of what might happen. Many people manage it for years before seeking help, assuming it is simply how they are made.
Bipolar mood disorder
Bipolar disorder involves periods of depression and periods of unusually elevated mood, energy or activity. The high periods often do not feel like illness at the time, which is why diagnosis is frequently delayed. With the right treatment and regular review, most people manage it well over the long term.
Obsessive compulsive disorder
OCD involves intrusive, unwanted thoughts and repeated behaviours a person feels compelled to carry out. It is often hidden for years because of embarrassment. It is treatable, and one of our psychiatrists has trained in concentrated treatment approaches developed specifically for OCD and severe anxiety.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
PMDD is a severe cyclical mood condition linked to the menstrual cycle. It is not ordinary premenstrual discomfort, and it is frequently dismissed as such by employers, by families, and sometimes by clinicians. It is recognised, and it is treatable.
Conditions
Trauma & stress
Post-traumatic stress disorder
PTSD can follow an accident, an assault, a loss, a medical emergency or a period of sustained fear. It shows up as intrusive memories, nightmares, being permanently on guard, and avoiding anything that brings it back. It responds to treatment, including long after the event.
Trauma
Not everyone who has been through something difficult develops PTSD, and not everyone needs a diagnosis to benefit from treatment. We work with people carrying the effects of a single event or of many years of difficulty, at whatever pace suits them.
Acute stress disorder
Acute stress disorder is the reaction that can follow immediately after a traumatic event within days or weeks, rather than months. Early treatment can reduce the chance of longer-term difficulty, so it is worth being seen sooner rather than waiting to see whether it passes.
Conditions
Thinking, attention & development
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia affects how a person thinks, perceives and interprets the world, sometimes including hearing or believing things others do not. It is one of the most misunderstood illnesses we treat and one of the most stigmatised. It is treatable, and early treatment makes a substantial difference to the long term.
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizoaffective disorder involves features of both schizophrenia and a mood disorder, and is often misdiagnosed as one or the other. Getting the diagnosis right matters, because the treatment differs. Assessment is thorough and usually takes more than one appointment.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
ADHD affects attention, impulse control and activity. It is usually recognised in childhood, but many adults reach us undiagnosed, having spent years assuming they were disorganised or careless. Assessment is careful and structured, and treatment may involve medication, therapy, or practical strategies for school or work.
Autism spectrum disorder
Autism affects how a person communicates, relates to others and experiences the world around them. We assess children and adults, and we work with families on what helps day to day. The aim of assessment is not a label but a clearer understanding of what a person needs.
Conditions
Wellbeing & daily life
Addiction and substance use
Addiction is a treatable illness, not a failure of will. We treat alcohol addiction, and prescription medicine and drug dependence, including opioid use. Treatment usually combines medical management with therapy, and it involves the family if the patient wants it to. Our clinicians have contributed to Kenya’s national treatment protocols in this area.
Eating disorders
Eating disorders are serious illnesses affecting people of all ages and body sizes, and they are about far more than food. They carry real physical risk alongside the psychological difficulty, which is why assessment covers both. Recovery is possible, and treatment works better the earlier it starts.
Insomnia and sleep disorders
Persistent poor sleep is both a condition in its own right and a common feature of other mental illness. We assess what is actually driving it rather than treating the symptom alone, because sleep medication on its own rarely resolves it.
Conditions
Later-life mental health
Mental health in older adults
Depression, anxiety and memory changes in later life are often put down to ageing and left untreated. They are not inevitable and they respond to treatment. We assess older patients thoroughly, and we work with the family alongside the patient.
Dementia
Dementia is a progressive condition affecting memory, thinking and daily functioning. Assessment establishes what is happening and what type it is, which shapes treatment and planning. Much of our work here is with the family, who often carry the weight of it long before a diagnosis is made.
Immediate support
Self-harm and suicidal thoughts
If you are in danger right now, or you are with someone who is, do not wait for an appointment. Call 999 or 112, or go to your nearest emergency department.
Thoughts of ending your life are more common than most people realise, and having them does not mean you are beyond help. People do come through this, and they come through it more often when someone else knows.
If you are having these thoughts, you can be seen here. You do not need a diagnosis, a referral, or a reason you can explain. We will talk about what has been happening and what would help, and we will agree what happens next together.
If you are worried about someone else, you can come and talk to us about it. Many of the people we see first are family members who did not know what else to do.
If you need to talk to someone outside our opening hours, Niskize runs a 24-hour counselling line on 0718 227 440. Befrienders Kenya offers free, confidential support on 0722 178 177, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
We are here to listen
If yours is not listed
If what you are dealing with is not listed here, it does not mean we cannot help. Ask us.