Rising incidences of mental challenges invite close scrutiny
Drug abuse among Nigerian youths, depression among adults and stigmatisation are among the factors leading to increase in cases mental disorders.
Despite some progress made, there is considerable neglect of mental healthcare delivery in Nigeria, say experts.
Oye Gureje, staff of Psychiatry College of Medicine, University of Ibadan said people with stigmatised health conditions, such as mental health and substance abuse disorders, as well as other vulnerable groups such as refugees; prisoners and migrants are less likely to receive high quality care.
The existing Mental Health Policy document in Nigeria was formulated in 1991, it was the first policy addressing mental health issues and its components include advocacy, promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
Since its formulation, no revision has taken place and no formal assessment of implementation has been conducted.
Every society struggles to care for people with mental illness. In some parts of Nigeria, where psychiatry is nearly unknown, the chain is often a last alternative for distressed families who cannot control a loved one in the grip of psychosis.
“Mental health care is urgently needed in Nigeria because about 40 per cent believe mental health is due to supernatural causes, possession by evil spirits and punishment by God, and 30 per cent believe in religion – magical cure for mental illness,” said Gureje.
Statistics show that depression affects millions of people all over the world and it is the most common form of mental disorders in the whole world, Nigerian inclusive.
Similarly, Richard Adebayo, consultant psychiatrist and clinical psychologist at Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos said people tend to use the word depression loosely, but even for those we can attribute their depression to mental disorders a lot of times people think those depressed are weakens, but the truth is depression does not go with personality.
“The perception is changing gradually though slowly, a lot of people who are depressed attribute it to one thing or the other. Most of these funny complaints are actually evidence of underlined depression” Adebayo said. “Once they get some treatment and they are not getting well, they attribute it to some spiritual or diabolical problems.”
However, the psychiatrists highlighted some disturbing issues that need adequate attention in Nigeria’s mental health care delivery. Some of the challenges the industry faces are as follows.
Many years of advocacy and drive to have the national assembly pass a new mental health care bill into law is not yielding tangible fruits.
The health sector is underfunded but mental health hospitals are even grossly underfunded. This has motivated specialists to leave Nigeria in search enabling environments.
Then there is the problem of decaying infrastructure, “this facility is one-hundred and ten years old. We have old facilities that should be upgraded and improved but we have shortage of fund” Adebayo said.
The clarion call, experts say is for people to be become aware and not leave all to government. Individuals, organised private sector organisations should also be involved in mental health care, just like some of them have been involved in malaria, tuberculosis, polio and HIV; I think they should also show concern for mental health.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH