Expert calls for more psychiatric hospitals

Medical Director of Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar, Dr Joseph Okegbe has called for the establishment of more psychiatric hospitals in the country particularly in states with high populations. In an interview with Daily Trust, he lamented that there are few specialised medical centres for psychiatric patients, and called for the siting, of at least, five more […]

Medical Director of Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar, Dr Joseph Okegbe has called for the establishment of more psychiatric hospitals in the country particularly in states with high populations.
In an interview with Daily Trust, he lamented that there are few specialised medical centres for psychiatric patients, and called for the siting, of at least, five more of such hospitals in thickly populated states like Lagos.
Okegbe said that psychosis breakdown, a form of psychiatric disorder is not as a result of spiritual attack as perceived by many Nigerians.
He said that such victims can now be well treated at the neuro-psychiatric medical centres in the country instead of abandoning them.
He said:  “The public perception of psychiatric health problems is not too encouraging because of the stigma that is associated with it.  But gradually, from empirical studies as well as observation, a lot of people are now becoming aware that if you have a breakdown, let’s say psychosis for example, that it is no more a spiritual attack, that you can actually get help in the psychiatric hospital.”
Dr Okegbe said that psychiatric issues are  many but that they are mainly divided into psychosis and neurosis.
He said: “Psychosis is a little bit strange, so you cannot blame Nigerians a lot when they say it’s a spiritual attack because no one can comprehend why a normal person will be sitting down, fully awake and be hearing voices, very clear voices, not whispering. It is either the voice will be running commentaries on your activities, or it will be giving you command to do this or that or it will be gossiping you, that is, it will speak about you in the third person.  Or somebody has very strange pains as if somebody is whipping you.”