Mental illness needs more than a passing attention

The revelation made in the course of the recent commemoration of the ‘World Mental Health Day’ that about 50 million Nigerians are suffering from various mental disorders cannot be more alarming. This clearly shows that the country has already lost almost a quarter of its entire population to mental illnesses, a lot of which are […]

The revelation made in the course of the recent commemoration of the ‘World Mental Health Day’ that about 50 million Nigerians are suffering from various mental disorders cannot be more alarming. This clearly shows that the country has already lost almost a quarter of its entire population to mental illnesses, a lot of which are preventable or controllable.

A mental disorder, also called a mental illness or psychological disorder is a condition that affects a person’s thinking, emotions, behaviour, or ability to function in daily life.

It interferes with how someone feels, thinks, relates to others, or handles stress. Mental disorders can range from mild to severe and may be temporary or long-term.

And for the record, suffering from a mental disorder does not automatically mean a person is “mad”—a word that’s often used informally or pejoratively to describe people with severe mental illness. In reality, most people with mental disorders are not mad in the sense of being irrational, violent, or completely disconnected from reality.

But certainly, the figure mentioned above indicates a disturbing decline in the performances of the health sector, especially the provision of proper care for those suffering from mental health disorders. The rise in the number of mentally retarded Nigerians are undeniably a result of the inadequacy of qualified personnel and good facilities which, therefore, hinders the delivery of preventive and curative services to patients of mental disorders.

Deterioration of mental health is usually caused by a number of factors that border on the economic, social, sociological and even political conditions of the people. The harsher such conditions are, the higher the rate of mental disorders among the people, which is the case in Nigeria presently.

It is, for example, the consensus among experts that a lot of the sufferers of various mental illnesses are victims of some severe deprivations. The inability of such persons to access and afford the costs of medical services, overcome some other financial challenges as well as absorb social shocks quickly raises the level of their vulnerability to mental afflictions.

 A particular statement made by the Medical Director and Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Pinnacle Medical Services, Dr Maymunah Kadiri, in an interview with this newspaper, that “over 75 per cent of Nigerians living with mental health challenges do not have access to medical care” simply shows the gravity of the problem. It re-enforces the belief that lack of required medical attention for the patients is what aggravates their situation.

However, hospitals and some other health facilities are not supposed to be the only providers of the required care for the victims of mental crisis as schools, workplaces and all such other environments where various kinds of businesses are pursued are duly expected to play fundamental roles in the provision of relief services to all those in need. There should be reliable mechanisms for a correct identification and an effective engagement of persons who begin to manifest abnormal behaviours so that their problems can be tackled at the initial stage.

Daily Trust calls for guidance and counselling to be restored in our schools as a way of addressing the rising problem of mental retardation in institutions of learning.  

Again, communities need to be fully sensitised on the need for greater attention to their members whose dispositions and acts point to a deterioration of mental health. Individuals and groups within every community should be made to appreciate the necessity for the provision of care to such patients as it is only sufficient comfort that can make them develop a sense of belonging and subsequently become self-confident.

It is in this regard we call on Ministries, Departments and Agencies ((MDAs) of government as well as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that are responsible for public sensitisation and mobilisation to prioritise enlightenment of Nigerians on the vital need for the adoption of enough measures towards the salvation of people suffering from mental challenges.

The apparent and continuous loss of young, able-bodied and productive citizens to mental illnesses can be fully halted and even reversed only if all the relevant ministries in charge of health, information and education sectors at federal and state levels, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, media and the relevant non-governmental organisations embark on a vigorous intensive campaign against the in-take of harmful substances which has become rampant in the country.  

We are, of course, not unaware of the harsh economic situation and heightened insecurity in the country, both of which have continued to have severe negative effects on the psychological well-being of the citizens. The perennial decline of material fortunes as well as persistent trauma mainly caused by loss of loved ones to violence and/or fear of more attacks have rendered a lot of Nigerians mentally unstable.

 Yet, we believe that, as Dr Olugbenga Owoeye who is the Medical Director of Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital Yaba-Lagos recommended, “co-ordinated intervention” will surely bring down the number of those who are mentally challenged. Robust partnership among critical stakeholders for the purpose of the design and execution of plans for the prevention and control of mental illnesses among Nigerians will surely guarantee the control of the ugly situation.

What is definitely most important and urgently needed is the provision of more facilities for the treatment of mentally ill Nigerians as the existing nine federal neuro-psychiatric hospitals and the 15 others owned by various state governments as well as the psychiatric departments in some teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres across the country are too inadequate to provide the required services.  The rising rate of mental disorders should serve as a challenge for the designers and implementers of the country’s health policy.