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Tag: Mental health

  • ‘How social media can impact negatively on mental health’

    ‘How social media can impact negatively on mental health’

    Consultant Pscychiatrist and Head of Clinical Service at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Kware, Sokoto, Dr Adebayo Adebisi in this interview with Lekan Otufodunrin speaks on avoidable triggers of mental health issues and how to take necessary precautions.

    WHAT is the essence of the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day marked recently focusing on Mental health as a universal right?

    The essence of this year’s World Mental Health Day is basically to raise awareness on the importance of mental health and that it is actually a universal human right. It also means  that  every individual should have access to quality mental health treatment. That is why it has always been said that there is no health without mental health.

    How can we guarantee the rights of people to mental health?

    One of the basic ways we can guarantee mental health is to create awareness and knowledge about the importance of mental health. Not just for the individuals in the nation, but also for the government. It is very critical that government and non-governmental organizations pay attention to mental health.

    We need to formulate policies and pass national bills that will regulate provision of mental health service, curb stigmatization of individuals with mental health issues and create easier access to mental health treatment. The signing into law of the Mental health bill in January, this year was a step in the right direction.

    Lastly, support organizations need to assist individuals with mental health issues who cannot afford to pay for mental health service due to socio-economic problems associated with having mental disorders.

    What is mental health?

    Mental health has been defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) along four broad lines. And that is that, for somebody to be considered mental healthy, the person must be able to achieve his or her potential, the person must be able to contribute positively to his or her community. The person must also be able to cope with the normal stress of life and of course work fruitfully and productively.

    What is the state of mental health in Nigeria generally?

    I would say  it has been an up and down situation. When we talk about access to mental health service,  most Nigerians don’t have access to qualitative mental health treatment.

    As we speak there are only about ten stand-alone psychiatric facilities in the country.  The ability of individuals with this condition to pay for these services is very minimal. And of course, there need to be a way to support them.

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    Nigeria and the brain drain syndrome . The other issues are the socio-economic problems that Nigerians are experiencing which may predispose them to mental health issues.

    And of course, it has been said that one in four Nigerians have had one mental health issue or the other in his or her lifetime.

    You earlier spoke about four trigger points of mental health issues. Can you give more details about the points?

    Regarding the risk factors for mental health disorder or mental illness, I would like to start by talking about the psychological risk factors. The most important of these is the issue of stress.  Of course stress is a major contributor to the occurrence of mental illness. Stress can arise from personal issues, relationship problems ,financial problems and employment problems.

    The other thing we need to know about stress is how we perceive the difficult situations we all go through. That will really have more impact on our mental health than the magnitude of the stress itself.

    So, we must learn to manage stress in the best possible way we can. We must be positive in our thinking when we go through difficult or life challenging situations. The other aspect are the social risk factors and that is about relationships. We need to know that people who don’t have supportive or qualitative relationships and people that isolate themselves are at more risk for developing mental disorders. That is why it is good to form supportive relationships, or relationships that will motivate us and challenge us to cope with stress or difficult situations in life. This is very important in reducing the risk of mental disorders.

    Lastly are the physical causes and this has to do with our physical health. It is very important to know that mental disorders can coexist with physical problems. The way we manage our physical health will impact positively or negatively on our mentality. If we handle it negatively, it can lead to mental disorders.

    For example, what we eat.Nutritional deficiencies are a risk factor for some forms of mental health issues. Also, some  individuals are addicted to some substances like psychoactive drugs, which they use to cope with the normal stresses of life. The truth is that many of these substances are addictive and they can lead to addictive behaviors, which are another form of mental illness.So, self medication should be avoided. Use of hard drugs, substance abuse should be avoided if one wants to really avoid coming down with mental disorders.

    There is the issue of obesity and lack of exercise that is eating too much of anything.These can also be a risk factor for depression, a form of mental disorders in the self.

    So, we should eat a balanced diet, we should watch what we eat, we should watch our weight to make sure we have an ideal weight. These are things that we can always discuss with our doctors so that we can manage our physical health. And of course, when you have some form of illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, it should be well managed.

    You should see professionals that will take adequate care. One should not patronize quacks or inexperienced individuals in managing such disorders because they are linked with some form of mental disorders if they are not well managed. For example, hypertension not well managed, may lead to some conditions like dementia in which some individuals may come with history of forgetfulness and end up with some behavioural problems.

    People that were involved in some form of accidents, in which they sustained deep head injuries may also be at risk of developing mental disorders later in life, especially if it affects some parts of the brain that has to do with behaviour or memory.

    So, people that have such incidents, should see the appropriate physician so that such conditions will be monitored and well treated.

    What is the impact of social networks on mental health considering that people these days don’t have much physical interaction?

    Social media networking has a role to play. It can be used positively and has its own downsides bond. It’s an avenue to encourage ourselves on the various platforms.

    The way the platform functions is very important. We must use it as a way to support, to encourage, not to show off, not to bully, not to make people feel that they are worse off. If the platforms are used negatively like that, it will in the long run be counterproductive. So,we should use our various social media platforms to encourage and to build relationships.

    Whenever a participant is not making comments as before, we should use it as an opportunity to reach out to them. Call them, find out how they are doing. Being in touch is useful in reducing risk of mental health disorder. Some people have committed suicide and the signs were there on the social media platform.They stopped participating, they stopped contributing, and nobody bothered to look out for them or check on them. And of course, the next thing you hear is that this person you know decided to end his or her life. The other one is to encourage social visits to our friends, families and occasions. We should invite people for our birthdays, naming ceremonies, marriages and other ceremonies. That’s where people meet, interact and encourage themselves.

    There should be a balance between the use of social media and the physical engagements because sometimes the social platforms has a tendency to cut off people physically and make people just relate on the platform alone. The platform alone is not enough. We should encourage physical social visits and interaction.

    What is the place of motivation and being positive to maintain mental health? Being Positive should be based on facts and not denial of reality?

    Yes, based on facts and the fact can be from, for example, what somebody believes in, his or her religious tenets. Of course, that fact may also be based on the fact that you are doing what is expected of you.

    It’s not that you are not doing anything that is expected of you and you are confessing positively. You must be doing all that is expected of you and sometimes things are not turning out well the way you want. But you must keep believing and seek counsel when necessary .

    Seeking counsel is a positive behaviour. When you are going through any stressful situation, when you seek counsel, it’s a positive behavior. A negative behavior is to keep it to yourself and feel that, well, let things just come out any way it wants.

  • Foundation sensitises police personnel on mental health

    Foundation sensitises police personnel on mental health

    Mind Management Foundation (MMF), a non-governmental organisation established to provide solutions and remedies to issues  on mental health, has flagged off mental health awareness training for the Nigerian personnel, Lagos Command. The event is also part of activities marking World Mental Health Day, which is celebrated annually on October 10.

     Mental health is a critical issue that affects people of all ages, with an estimated statistics of one in every four people in our society, and this is said to be one of the root causes of suicide. Mental health issues are prevalent among the armed forces, police, and other paramilitary bodies. This, MMF said, is one of the reasons for the excesses some of the security personnel habitually exhibit. ” It is a day to talk about mental health and show everyone that mental health matters. It’s also a day to let people know that it’s okay to ask for help, no matter what you’re going through. As a good corporate citizen and a responsible stakeholder in nation-building, the activities of the Mind Management Foundation are aimed at assisting the government in tackling this societal menace, which necessitated this mental health awareness training for members of the Nigerian Police Force.”

     Speaking at the press briefing held at the Police Officers Mess in Ikeja, the Director of MMMF, Barrister Arinze Emmanuels, said that the organisation is embarking on a road tour to take this awareness campaign to 200,000 policemen and women nationwide. According to him, “It is our vision to take this training to all the barracks in the nation with a day of training on awareness drives about this societal menace. This reach would go a long way toward touching the lives of not only our police officers who would attend the training but also members of their families and friends. This is possible because at the end of the training, the mindset of the officers would have changed for the better.”

     Barrister Emmanuels seized the occasion to call on government and corporate bodies to help us fight this dangerous trend. He added that, “Aside from training the officers, the foundation also intends to set up a counseling and mental health correctional centre in each of the police barracks and offices in all 36 states of Nigeria, starting with all the police commands in Lagos State.”

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     Also speaking at the event, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idowu Owohunwa, said that “Since most Nigerian police officers serving in active service are in their prime, they are susceptible to depression and PTSD. Programmes for the creation, implementation, assessment, and supervision of psychotherapy services are required for young police officers and their families. Thus, the Nigeria Police is happy and fully supports this mental health awareness training for Nigerian police personnel by the Mind Management Foundation. This would not only go a long way to boost the morale of the police officers who attend the training but also further allow them to become more upbeat and committed to their jobs and tasks at hand. He called on the police personnel to give them the necessary support when it calls on their division,” he added.

     Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary or dangerous event. Experts say it is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation, since fear is a part of the body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ response, which helps people avoid or respond to potential danger. The MMF seeks to help deal with the causes of mental health issues and maintain a sound mind for total well-being. It is poised to intervene through proper education, sensitisation, and by providing the right tools to individuals and groups. Through programmes, workshops, and initiatives with seasoned professionals in collaboration with corporate organisations and the government, MMF said it is committed to tackling mental health problems in society.

  • Policymakers urged to criminalise mental health stigmatization

    Policymakers urged to criminalise mental health stigmatization

    Policy makers in the country have been urged to criminalise mental health stigmatisation .

    Resident Representative, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Nigeria, Mr Lennart Oestergaard said discriminating against people who have a mental health challenge is a problem that should be tackled.

    He added that men living with mental health issues are more likely not to seek help because of society’s expectations on how masculine a man should be.

    Oestergaard said this in Abuja at the Sunshine series and Mind Wellness annual 2nd mental health symposium, with the theme: ‘Health as a universal human right: a multi stakeholder’s perspective.’

    Read Also: Appetite Suppressants and Mental Health – How They Impact Mood and Emotions

    He added, “Maybe it’s time to think about our gender roles and if being a man means that you can face your challenges and problems and speak about it openly, or if you will be judged by your peers if you have a mental health problem, then you’re strange and they will exclude you I think society can play a part in changing that.

    “Well, I think every society should be based on mutual respect and no discrimination against whatever. So discriminating against people who have a mental health challenge is a problem and should be tackled.

  • Mental health experts link rising suicide rates to socioeconomic challenges

    Mental health experts link rising suicide rates to socioeconomic challenges

    Prominent psychiatrists have linked the alarming surge in suicide attempts among Nigerians to pressing social issues such as economic hardship, violence, poverty, and the misuse of drugs.

     At a gathering organised by the Retreat Healthcare in Ikorodu, Lagos, commemorating World Mental Health Day under the theme “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right,” Dr. Olufemi Oluwatayo, the CEO of the Retreat Hospital, highlighted the urgent need for the government to devise strategies preventing easy access to materials that could facilitate such tragic acts.

    Dr. Oluwatayo, a United Kingdom-based Consultant Psychiatrist, emphasised the media’s role in responsible reporting, urging mindful coverage to prevent sensationalising these unfortunate incidents. He underscored the necessity for national policies to curtail easy access to harmful substances and secure public places, like bridges, where such incidents often occur. He urged unity among Nigerians, emphasising hope, community support, and vigilance in preventing violence.

    Read Also: Japa syndrome: Stakeholders seek action on rehabilitation, reformation, mental health

     Dr. Oluwatayo lamented the high cost of mental health services, which serves as a barrier for many Nigerians seeking help. He highlighted the inadequacy of mental health services in the country and stressed the importance of integrating mental health services into Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to expand accessibility. He also commended the passage of the Mental Health Bill into law but stressed the need for its full implementation.

    Renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Femi Olugbile, echoed the sentiment, urging individuals to prioritise their mental well-being. He emphasised the importance of action beyond the legislation, calling for provisions in health insurance to cover mental health services.

    Dr. Olugbile stressed the vital role of employers in promoting their employees’ mental wellness, recognising its significance for both organisational health and workplace safety.

  • Japa syndrome: Stakeholders seek action on rehabilitation, reformation, mental health

    Japa syndrome: Stakeholders seek action on rehabilitation, reformation, mental health

    Stakeholders have called for concerted efforts at national and sub-national levels as well as by the private sector and civil society organisations to embark on deliberate policies that will address the mental health of Nigerians caused by the trauma they face every day.

    According to the stakeholders, the trauma caused by socio-economic, political, and other challenges was responsible for the pervasive despondency whereby citizens are being seen to have lost confidence and hope in the country.

    The stakeholders, at a Conference on National Rehabilitation and Reformation, themed Psychosocial and Mental Health Intervention in Focus, held in Abuja on Saturday noted that the widespread despondency is the resultant mass migration, intractable insecurity, and increasing criminality the country has been experiencing over time.

    The conference organised by Chosen Vessels Global Outreach attracted the Office of the Chief of the Air Staff (CNS); Bureau for Public Service Reform (BPSR); the National Orientation Agency (NOA); the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS); the Nigeria Police Force (NPF); and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) among others.

    The Director General (DG) of BPSR, Arabi Dasuki, in his keynote address noted that national rehabilitation and reformation hold the key to rebuilding lives, communities, and entire nations, saying, “These are not merely slogans; they represent our commitment to improving the lives of individuals who have faced adversity and challenges, and the broader goal of revitalizing our society, the process of helping individuals, often those who have encountered personal crises or have been involved in the criminal justice system, to rebuild their lives, rehabilitation focuses on providing them with the support, resources, and guidance necessary to reintegrate into society and become productive, law-abiding citizens.

    “Accordingly, National Rehabilitation and Reformation is very crucial because it represents a fundamental shift in how we view individuals who have endured hardships. 

    “Rather than perpetuating cycles of punishment, 

    rehabilitation offers a pathway to redemption and the opportunity for personal growth. 

    “It is imperative to realize that national rehabilitation and reformation also hold economic benefits. Investing in rehabilitation programs will lead the nation to reduce the burden on our criminal justice system and social services. In the long run, this can lead to cost savings and a more prosperous nation. 

    “Similarly, National transformation and rehabilitation also serve as a process that society must undergo because It forces the nation to examine and address structural problems Like poverty, prejudice, and inequality that exacerbate the difficulties people experience. By changing these processes, we can create a society where everyone has the chance to prosper”. 

    The Convener of the summit, Chinyere Nwoye, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Chosen Vessels Global Outreach, the organizers of the conference, said the time has come for the government, the private sector, and civil society organizations to invest in national reformation and rehabilitation for the future of Nigeria.

    She said: “By focusing on the emotional and psychological well-being of our people, we can ignite a resurgence of hope, unity, and resilience that will help us reclaim the very soul of our nation, paving the way for a brighter, more prosperous future for all.

    “Everyone has a role to play, from the individual, we move to the home, the family, and the community. Our families are the building blocks of society, and they play a pivotal role in shaping our values and attitudes, including our mental health.

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    “As we embark on the journey towards a rehabilitated and reformed Nigeria, let us remember that the strength of our nation rests upon the resilience of its people, and nurturing our mental well-being is paramount. 

    “By addressing our mental health, we not only heal ourselves but also lay the foundation for a brighter future, not just for us, but for generations to come”.

    In his lecture for the day, Martins Obono noted that for various reasons, Nigerians are traumatized at one point or another, however, emphasized that it is high time Nigerians take every word of the National pledge being said every day to heart because it is a sincere systemic response to retraumatization by the founders of the nation.

    Former ace broadcaster, Moji Makanjuola and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar were honored with the Face of Hope (Patriotism) and (National Security) awards respectively among others for their roles and contributions to Nigerian nation-building.

  • 10 ways to identify someone likely experiencing mental health challenges

    10 ways to identify someone likely experiencing mental health challenges

    Identifying someone who may be struggling with mental health issues can be important for providing support and potentially preventing further difficulties.

    Here are some signs that may indicate someone is experiencing mental health challenges:

    1. Changes in behaviour:

    Withdrawal: They may become socially isolated or avoid activities they used to enjoy.

    Irritability: Noticeable changes in mood, such as increased irritability or mood swings.

    Agitation: Restlessness, pacing, or other signs of agitation.

    2. Emotional signs:

    Intense Emotions: Extreme sadness, anxiety, anger, or mood swings.

    Hopelessness: Expressing feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or having no purpose.

    3. Physical signs:

    Changes in Sleep Patterns: Insomnia or sleeping too much.

    Changes in Appetite: Significant weight loss or gain.

    Lack of Energy: Constant fatigue or lack of motivation.

    4. Neglecting personal care:

    Poor Hygiene: Neglecting personal grooming and hygiene habits.

    Read Also: 15 strategies to handle mental health

    5. Substance use:

    Using drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with their feelings.

    6. Expressing negative thoughts:

    Talking about feeling trapped, being a burden to others, or wanting to escape.

    7. Physical symptoms without clear medical cause:

    Complaining of physical symptoms (headaches, stomachaches) that do not have a clear medical explanation.

    8. Difficulty concentrating:

    Struggling to focus on tasks or remember things.

    9. Sudden or drastic changes:

    Sudden, significant changes in personality, behavior, or appearance.

    10. Self-harm or suicidal thoughts:

    Any indication that they may be harming themselves or having thoughts of suicide should be taken very seriously. Seek immediate help from a mental health professional or a trusted person in their life.

    Remember, it’s important to approach the situation with empathy, respect, and non-judgment. If you’re concerned about someone, encourage them to talk to a mental health professional. If you believe they’re in immediate danger, do not leave them alone. Seek help from a crisis hotline, a healthcare provider, or call emergency services in your country.

    Please keep in mind that I’m not a mental health professional, and if you’re concerned about someone’s mental health, it’s important to seek advice from a qualified expert.

  • 15 strategies to handle mental health

    15 strategies to handle mental health

    World Mental Health Day is an important occasion to raise awareness about mental health issues and promote mental well-being.

    Healing is a journey and it’s important to be patient and compassionate with yourself. 

    It’s also perfectly okay to seek professional help if you need it. If you or someone you know is in immediate need of mental health support, please reach out to a local crisis hotline or mental health professional.

    Here are 15 strategies for healing.

    1. Seek professional help:     Reach out to a mental health professional, such as a therapist, counselor, or psychiatrist, who can provide expert guidance and support.

    2. Practice self-compassion: Treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would offer to a friend facing a similar challenge.

    3. Engage in mindfulness and meditation: Cultivate awareness of the present moment through practices like meditation, deep breathing, and mindfulness exercises.

    4. Maintain a balanced lifestyle: Prioritize regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and adequate sleep to support both your physical and mental well-being.

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    5. Cultivate supportive relationships:     Surround yourself with people who understand, support, and uplift you. Share your feelings with trusted friends or family members.

    6. Set realistic goals: Break down large tasks into manageable steps. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small.

    7. Journaling and expressive writing: Write down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This can help process emotions and gain clarity.

    8. Engage in creative expression: Explore activities like art, music, or writing as a means of self-expression and emotional release.

    9. Practice gratitude: Regularly reflect on things you’re grateful for. This can shift your focus towards positive aspects of your life.

    10. Establish routine and structure: Creating a predictable routine can provide a sense of stability and purpose, which can be especially beneficial during difficult times.

    11. Set boundaries: Learn to say no and establish healthy boundaries to protect your mental and emotional well-being.

    12. Engage in relaxation techniques: Incorporate relaxation practices like progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, or aromatherapy.

    13. Participate in activities that bring joy: Do things that make you happy and bring a sense of fulfillment, even if it’s something as simple as reading a book, going for a walk, or listening to music.

    14. Practice resilience-building skills: Develop skills to bounce back from setbacks. This might include problem-solving, adaptability, and cultivating a positive outlook.

    15. Seek meaning and purpose: Engage in activities or pursuits that give your life a sense of meaning and purpose, whether through volunteering, creative endeavors, or personal goals.

  • ‘Why my novel is on mental health disorder’

    Dr. Lucy Okwuma is an Ophthalmologist who loves using fiction to situate medical problems. In her latest novel titled Neglected she anchors the lives of mental health disorders patients and comes out with the verdict that most suicide cases in Nigeria today emanate from that. She speaks to Edozie Udeze on this and how mental health disorder cases can be conveniently managed to save more people from taking their lives.

    Lucy Okwuma is a physician, yet she finds time to piece words together.  At the moment her latest novel titled Neglected is about to be presented to the public.  But how does she have time to write, to create her plots and weave stories around the things that happen in the world?  It is amazing really that in spite of her busy schedule which takes most of her time, this young and impressionable doctor still has time to rummage in the world of fiction and literature.

    A graduate of Imo State University, Owerri, where she specialized as an Ophthalmologist, a branch of medicine that takes care of the eye, and eye diseases, Okwuma explains that most of what constitutes her stories come from what she observes and often encounters in the cause of discharging her professional role to the general public.  “I am an ophthalmologist,” she simply enthused in an interview, “but I have time to write, to look into the problems of the society to pen down one or two issues.  The story of the Neglected dwells mainly on mental health disorders, detailing how this starts and how it can be curbed or controlled by those concerned.  It is a moving story especially now that cases of suicides are rampart among the younger ones.  Most of the time this is traceable to mental health disorders and perhaps members of the family are unaware of it.  Even the patient may not know.  Now the story begins from there and then moves on gradually”, she states.

    As a young doctor, Okwuma tries to see how to relate to the youths the best way she can.  She continues:  “Yes I’ve always loved reading books; literary works by great authors.  So, my inspiration, that innate urge to write came from that sort of foundation.  If someone has an issue of mental health disorder and does not discover on time it can escalate to the point that it can lead to suicide.

    In the book, I also emphasized on the fact that when the family eventually discovered this problem of mental health disorder, they did not take the patient to the hospital, but to a church.  They noted it was an attack and so did not give the problem the deserved treatment.  This is one of the problems people face these days, not being able to separate spiritual matters from health issues”.

    She admits however that there is no relationship between her area of medicine and psychiatry, yet it is proper for most physicians to be abreast of general health issues amongst people.  “Oh, there is no relationship per se.  There’s no relationship between eye and psychiatry, yet as a physician, we all did general medicine.  But then, it is easier for me to go into these problems to write a prose fiction to encourage people to always differentiate between health and spiritual matters”.

    Okwuma is of the opinion that more cases of psychiatry may rear their heads in the society if care is not taken to arrest the development early enough.  “Yes, I agree that more cases of suicide arise daily in Nigeria and world-over.  At the level of prevention…?  Oh, at times people are born that way.  The best you can do is to check and keep checking with specialists to control and checkmate.  Once you begin to notice that something is wrong, consult a physician.  The signs of those disorders will at a point manifest.  Yes, they usually do but don’t let them drag on and on leading to the point of suicide”, she cautions.

    Okwuma agrees that there is a thin line between Psychiatric problem and frustration.  “Oh, what causes frustration if it is not related to mental imbalance”, she fires back.  “There is a thin line between the two.  If you are saying it is due to poverty or lack of jobs, what of the boy that committed suicide two days ago simply because his girlfriend jilted him?  Does that make sense?  Is it economic frustration or lack of jobs?  No, this has to do with mental health.  So, that situation has to be controlled.  And also that is why we have to do our best to help control these ugly situations to stem the rate of suicides in our midst at the moment”.

    Neglected is a voluminous book of 321 pages, well packaged to bring out the message more clearly.  And Okwuma believes it is easier to let people read and grasp the import of this matter through fictional representation.  For those who cannot easily read medical books or have the time to grapple with medical terminologies in medial books concerning mental health disorders, a fictionalized form of the issue can as well help.

    On 6th of July, the book will be presented to the public and the author will be delighted to have many people turn up to grasp the essence of this wonderful work that may help to scuttle high rates of suicides in the society.  And when you combine beauty, with brain, what you get is the kind of menu Okwuma has offered to the general public – a book that is so generously offered in over one hundred and fifteen thousand words, making the book a serious dossier on the issue at hand.  “Yes, mostly my imaginations combined with a foreknowledge of the problem of mental health disorders and how some people are born with it, those gave me the story”.

    Okwuma gave instances in her fiction to buttress her point.  “My hope is that people who are struggling with mental health disorder will get hold of this book and read.  It will help; they will learn a lot of lessons from it.  People will get an idea of what the signs are and how to go about the treatment.  It is in the brain when people are born with it.  So, it is not what you can prevent; you can only treat and take care of it.  Depression also causes frustration which can even increase the crisis itself”, she finally offers with the seriousness of a physician hard-pressed to create an impact in the society.

  • Psychiatrist recommends early treatment of mental ailment

    Dr Shehu Sale, a Consultant Psychiatrist, has advised Nigerians to report persons with mental ailment early at recognised health facilities.

    Sale, who is also the Medical Director of Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital (FNPH), Kware, Sokoto State, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Sokoto.

    The psychiatrist said that early report and diagnosis of mental ailments would help to curtail the number of rising cases in the country.

    He pointed out that mental cases were on the increase in the country because they were hardly reported at the right hospitals and at the right time as most people patronised traditional healers first.

    According to Sale, mental cases can be easily controlled if such cases are taken to the right hospitals in good time for proper diagnosis and treatment.

    READ ALSO: Day Corona tackled child’s mental health, depression

    Sale, who is also an associate professor and master trainer with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), decried the stigma associated with mental health, saying it discourages people from seeking medical help.

    He said that plans were underway to establish a family health clinic to address stigma with an aim to reduce stigma and other associated public perceptions in relation to mental health.

    The consultant expressed confidence that the clinic, when established, would help strengthen mental health delivery.

    He added that in the meantime, the hospital has sponsored enlightenment campaigns on mental health and stigma in Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and other states as a project.

    He traced the cause of mental health to drug abuse, depression, hardship or hereditary, but maintained that it could be cured if it was detected and treated early.

  • Mental health challenge and medical students

    Sir: Doctors are expected to know almost everything about the business of not falling ill, after all it is their business. Yet time has continued to show that ill health is no respecter of persons not even if you are a doctor trained to treat other people when they fall ill.

    If there is any illness which respects class, profession and social standing; it is definitely not one that concerns the mental well-being of any person.

    Mental illness is a term well misunderstood in our society despite its presence with us for a very long time. Or how do you explain the myths that depression is an illness of the white and suicide an imported anomaly?

    There has been an increasing wave of admissions of medical students on the psychiatry ward in OAU, but OAU is not an isolated case. At a Southwest regional meeting of the Nigerian Medical Students Association sometime last year, there was a common complaint of an increase in the incidence of mentally ill medical students across all the medical student associations in the region.

    It is a common problem; yes, strange but unexpected – no.

    This is why: the work load of an average medical student is gargantuan, the amount of materials he has to read, re-read and internalize is quite much but this in itself is not the problem, discouraging scores are the real menace.  You would be forgiven if you think reading books are the major problems for a medical student.  The demands are quite high, long periods on the ward, demanding call hours leaving students exhausted and craving extra hours not to sleep but to read.

    This academic demands are not new , neither are the societal demands but other factors like financial difficulties, emotional challenges and tasking curriculums have come together to make the sanity of medical students a rare finding.

    The economic situation of the country has put immense pressure on financial sponsors of medical students (the ones still lucky to have financial sponsors), which have translated to more financial worries for the students as they try very hard to focus during very mentally grueling sessions. The not so lucky ones, the ones without financial sponsors have to find a way to sponsor their way through school without failing. The lack of social support in medical school encourages medical students to go through difficult times alone and helpless. Most times medical students who face one academically related problem or the other face them alone increasing the chances that they face the same challenges once more due to increasing feelings of self-doubt in their abilities.

    Some of these students end up depressed and are not noticed until periods when they show signs of severe depression with possible signs of psychosis, others could have lingering anxiety issues that affect their abilities to function optimally while others could be suicidal.

    The first step to recovery is a psychosocial approach, making sure that the stigma placed with mental illness in our society is gradually removed. People have to understand that depression doesn’t signify a mental weakness neither is it an illness that people consciously seek. The patient shouldn’t be blamed.

    Despite the great works by mental health consultants, NGO’s like Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative there is a wide lacuna in the knowledge of Nigerians about mental health issues like depression, suicide, anxiety disorders, substance abuse and other ailing mental health issues.

    That is why programs like the mental health symposium themed “identifying the thin line” organized by the Obafemi Awolowo University Medical Students Association on Thursday December 13, is a step in the right direction.

    We can’t relent until our society is well educated about mental illness and is ready to give the necessary social support to our friends and family members who become mentally ill.

     

    • Agbaje Tosin,

    President, Obafemi Awolowo University Medical Students Association (IFUMSA).