Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable.
Depression causes feelings of sadness andor a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.
A police officer from Murang’a County who believed to have been depressed has died by suicide in a case believed to have resulted from a domestic squabble.
The body of Administration Police Constable Mephis Ng’ang’a Gathungu, 31, was found in the bathroom of his rented house in the town.
The officer, who was employed in 2011 and was based in Igembe North, Meru County, hanged himself.
Residents found the body after a bad smell prompted them to check the officer’s house. They then alerted police.
An officer who did not want to be named said Mr Gathungu likely took his own life three to four days before his body was found.
Mr Gathungu’s father, James Gathungu Ng’ang’a, said that his son and his wife had separated and that he had been mentally unstable.
“Although they have been having issues, they were together last Tuesday. The wife cooked supper for him before leaving,” he said. “He suffered from depression.”
According to the Criminal Investigations Department, Mr Gathungu applied for a seven-day leave on January 21 to solve domestic issues. However, he did not return to work on January 28 and extended the leave.