INCORPORATING EMOTIONAL DESIGN TO CREATE AWARENESS ON MENTAL HEALTH AMONG THE YOUTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI, ADD CAMPUS

The rise in the numbers of suicides by university students is growing at an alarming rate. The issues that face them are however manageable and can be dealt with way before such drastic measures are taken by an individual. Most university students are faced by mental health issues such as; anxiety, depression, low mood, which are brought about by social media, exam pressure, stress, unhealthy relationships, bullying (online) just to mention a few. These things ultimately lead to self-harm, drug abuse and suicide.
There is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health in Kenya, due to cultural beliefs. Most brush it off as being bewitched or ―a white people thing‖, to mean if you have it, it must be pretense or a non-issue and coming out to say you are not okay mentally is most times met with a cold shoulder and a look of fix your problems yourself, no one has time to help you with your petty issues.
The University of Nairobi Health Services department provides free counseling for students facing mental health issues but very few students show up for help and they opt to seek outside help or none. However, all this can change, using graphic design to create awareness and demystifying mental health issues. Teaching people how to help those who suffer from poor mental health and helping people understand that having a mental health problem is not the end of the world. Seeking help for it from a professional or finding ways to cope with it is a step to better mental health.
The basis of this paper is to look into how the use of Graphic Design can create an impactful awareness campaign on mental health through emotional design elements.