The use of social media to promote mental health awareness is rapidly increasing globally, yet evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa remains limited. In Kenya, Chiromo Mental Health Hospital (CMHH) has pioneered the integration of social media into mental health practice to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and facilitate linkage to care. Established in 1996, CMHH provides psychiatric care for adults and adolescents, treating disorders such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use disorders. Recognizing that most of their clients consume information online, the hospital founded a digital relations department in 2018 to develop targeted, accessible content across multiple platforms.
CMHH’s social media strategy leverages Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and its website. Twitter hosts live chats on topics like mental health awareness (#MindfulMondays) and regional discussions (#Mentalhealth4Africa), reaching thousands weekly. Facebook, with over 32,000 followers, shares posts, live videos, and discussions, reaching audiences across East Africa. Instagram, though less active, engages younger users through visuals, polls, and short videos. Traffic from these platforms is directed to CMHH’s website, which serves as a hub for resources, FAQs, and blogs, allowing users to access mental health information and care links.
The hospital’s experience demonstrates that structured social media use can break barriers of information sharing, offer peer support, and connect people to care despite potential risks associated with prolonged online engagement. Key lessons include the importance of simple, jargon-free messaging, demographic diversity in content planning, and consistent team collaboration. Overall, CMHH shows that social media can be a powerful tool for mental health promotion, and future research should evaluate its effectiveness in reducing the mental health treatment gap in Sub-Saharan Africa.