This archive report was first published on 1 July 2021.
July 1, 2021, marked a turning point for Tina Kagia, a Nation FM presenter, who had been struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts after her marriage failed.
Ms. Kagia, who had seemingly had it all - a good life, a successful career, and fame - found herself consumed by depression, which led her to attempt death by suicide.
She revealed that she would sleep all day, avoid human contact, and became an alcoholic, all while hiding behind a mask of normalcy.
"I did not know I was depressed until I started getting comments from people close to me," Ms. Kagia said in an interview with Angel Waruinge. "I hated music, and I am a music junkie. Music was annoying me. I was also in hoodies and shades. I would also have headphones all the time yet I wasn’t listening to anything," she added.
At one point, Ms. Kagia took lots of pills in an attempt to end her life, but a comment from someone in a meeting snapped her out of her suicidal thoughts.
Two months later, she attempted suicide again, and this time, it was almost successful. She was out cold in ICU for 9 days, with only a faint recollection of the events leading up to her hospitalization.
Ms. Kagia's aunt visited her in the hospital and revealed what had transpired, and later, she started experiencing hallucinations due to the pills she had taken.
She is now cautious of what she watches and listens to, and has spoken publicly about her struggles with depression and her near-fatal suicide attempt.
