Schizophrenia, Culture, and Help-Seeking in Kenya: Toward Culturally Responsive Assessment and Care

Abstract

Schizophrenia in Kenya should be understood as both a clinical condition and a culturally embedded experience. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that schizophrenia affects approximately 23 million people, or about 1 in 345 people, equivalent to 0.29% of the population; among adults, the estimate is about 1 in 233 people, or 0.43% (World Health Organization (WHO), 2025). Applied cautiously to Kenya’s estimated population of 50–60 million people, this suggests that approximately 145,000–174,000 Kenyans may be affected by schizophrenia. This figure should be distinguished from broader psychosis estimates: Kenya’s Ministry of Health reports the probable prevalence of psychosis at about 1% of the population, which would translate to approximately 500,000–600,000 people (Ministry of Health Kenya, 2024). These estimates highlight the importance of addressing schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders not only through biomedical diagnosis and treatment, but also through culturally responsive care that considers local beliefs, stigma, family caregiving systems, pluralistic help-seeking, and barriers to accessing mental health services. In Kenya, traditional health practitioners have been identified as important actors in mental health care pathways, particularly because many individuals and families seek support outside formal psychiatric services before or alongside biomedical treatment (Okonji et al., 2008). More broadly, research on psychotic disorders in Africa emphasizes the need to explore synergy between biomedical, traditional, and faith-based systems of care while protecting patient safety, dignity, and access to evidence-based treatment (van der Zeijst et al., 2023).