Special Report

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Esther Kiama has stood by her husband through his illness, in spite of some of his friends in the back of your

Esther Kiama was working as A Teacher in Nyeri, central Kenya , when she received The Call have returned.

her husband, David, was sick.

"And it is not a small disease," The Caller stressed, And Then explained: "It is a mental illness. "

At this point, in the year 2005, woman Kiama had not seen her husband is very much build on the previous year, when he was moved to a different city, a business.

the time in which you visited, they had not noticed, his health problems.

But as soon as The Call came in, to find a woman Kiama, immediately to the left, to Him .

"We had to get Him home so he could get medicine," she told the Bbc .

Esther KiamaI would let Him in The House , And One day I had found out that he burned the ceiling" Esther Kiama

Mrs Kiama, that her husband "speak to himself, throwing about his arms, he said, be talking to the people and it was really no one".

she was to describe what was diagnosed later as bipolar disorder.

"is It worse when he Came Home . I'd had in The House , And One day, I found out that he burned the ceiling, say it is Strange People he looked Up There were. "

It was As If her husband had turned into someone she didn't know, and you don't mind, what was going to happen.

"enchants you have decided to have our son'

you, that you would Him to the hospital, But her relatives did not let her.

she threw Mrs Kiama to cast a spell on her husband.

"His father came to Him and said: 'I said that my son is sick, I came because you jinxed Him . '"

The powerful removal of her husband of 15 years was a traumatic experience For You and your four children.

"I was shocked at first, But I'm a believer, although it shocked me really, I thought this would be at the end," She Said .

Now she could see that her husband's health deteriorated.

But because of their faith, that he is under a spell woman Kiama the in-laws do not seek medical help.

Mental Health problems in Kenya are at some point in connection with witchcraft or curses, and not as something that can be treated or managed.

Kenya 's Ministry of health says that many people do not seek help for these kinds of conditions, and prefer to hide their illness.

The World health organization estimates that one out of four people will be affected by a Mental Health issue or neurological disorder at some point in your life.

There are no up-to-date figures for The Situation in Kenya - a sign, perhaps, of how much work still needs to be done on the Problem in the country.

Chased with a machete

For three years, Mr Kiama was a burden for his parents, especially his old mother, to see the eventually sick, the sad state of her son.

Occasionally, neighbors contact Mrs. Kiama about your husband.

"Sometimes I would be called, said that he was in the city wandering around, and I would go to rent a taxi and take Him back," women's Kiama says. You would go in and cook for Him .

But she was still blamed for her husband's behavior, and this is filtered through Him .

"he says He once chased me with a panga [machete]: 'you have bewitched me. "But I asked Him : 'If you Kill Me , who cooks For You ?" He threw his panga," She Said .

Mrs Kiama was thankful, that except for this incident, her husband was violent.

What is bipolar disorder?

sources: NHS (National Health Service, Royal College of psychiatrists and mind

Mrs Kiama said, it was difficult to watch someone you loved, so much suffering from a disease that is understood hardly. They, too, fought with the reactions they got from friends.

back returned to her.

Kenya is a psychotherapist, Maggie So, who is specialized in marriage, family and sex questions, said it was the right label mentally ill people as "crazy" or "insane", as often happens.

The labels obscure the understanding of the condition.

Leave of friends

you told the Bbc that the medical check-ups were necessary in order to determine which type of mental disorder, the suffering a person could.

She Said that psychological problems could be triggered by stress, feelings of loneliness, fear, panic or the feeling of not being valued.

in Spite of her husband's condition, Mrs. Kiama was not to leave Him , against all the advice of your friends.

"I told you, it was because of The Vow . We had a Church wedding. He came to pick me up from home, as a young bride.

"To tell you The Truth , we loved each other very much... we had four children".

Esther Kiama said, your children are not now taught to Be Afraid of your dad's disease

In the end, a woman Kiama decided that she could reclaim her husband by her in-laws.

"After three years, I told my children, [that] we are not to steal, daddy," She Said .

Together with their children and a psychiatrist, they developed a way to get her husband out of The House of his parents.

then you said: "His finger-and toenails had grown long and dirty, it would take days to clean them. His beard and hair overgrown, so much that it gave Him a terrible appearance.

"He was like Nebuchadnezzar in The Bible that is totally unkempt. "

with the children

Mr Kiama is bipolar disorder diagnosed was, and he was hospitalized for over two months.

to recover Since he was in the hospital, he was home, although he is still on a long-term medication.

The Family is together again.

"The Doctor advised, my children, how do you live with your father and you should have it said to love as he is... and it has to work," women's Kiama.

Explore the issues of Mental Health

What is Mental Health , and where can I find help?

I Could be depressed?

Bbc News Special Report

bipolar disorder, kenya, mental health

Source of news: bbc.com