The Permanent Secretary, Health District IV in the Lagos state Ministry of Health, Dr Abimbola Bowale, yesterday called on residents of Lagos Mainland Local Government and its environs to avoid mental health issues.
He urged them to quickly seek help at the closest Primary Healthcare Centre when they feel troubled.
He gave the advice during a sensitisation meeting and engagement with community stakeholders at Yaba Local Council Development Area, Lagos.
According to him, mental health issue is very important aspect of total health care and a lot of reasons could be attributed to people having mental health issues.
“Even the stress of day-to-day living could be part of it. Economic situation could be part of it; stress from anything – traffic gridlock, not meeting financial obligations – all these can put pressure on individuals. The other thing is drug abuse,” he said.
Dr Bowale said staff at various Primary Healthcare centres (PHCs) have been trained by the Ministry of Health to be able to identify early signs of mental stress and offer solutions in terms counselling, referral and other intervention that could help resolve them.
“If you walk into any of our primary healthcare centres, there are individuals that have been trained to counsel, intervene and also refer individuals who have mental issues,” he said.
He advised Lagosians to take things easy as no condition is permanent.
Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ebute Meta General Hospital, Dr Juliana Olunuga, said stress is not just about feeling tired, rather it could be caused by many things.
“The best thing is see your doctor who will diagnose you to know the cause of the stress and be able to advise if it’s rest you need or drugs. You could be referred to other doctors for better treatment,” she said.
Dr Olunuga cautioned against self-medication, saying “people are even going to spend much more because those drugs you are buying, you don’t know the effect on your body. They might be dangerous and by the time they cause problem for you, you will still end up going to the hospital. So I urge our people to see the doctor first, it’s very key.”
Head of Special Projects and Mental Health, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Tolu Ajomale, urged Lagosians to avoid having poor mental health.
“Things you can do to promote mental health include regular exercise, rest, having someone to talk to, spending quality time away from stressful situation; knowing and understanding yourselves by avoiding things that could trigger your poor mental health and create a right environment,” he said.
According to him, people should not be tired of seeking for help when stressed.
