Mental health problems remain a huge stigma in the country, with most people, even families of victims, choosing to ignore them, in the hope that the problems will simply go away.
The problems, however, rarely vanish, and whether an individual’s problem is severe or mild, if not treated, can result in exclusion from society, loss of work, and breakdown in relationship.
The Nation came across a middle-aged woman, who is a university graduate, but has gone mad in the ancient town of Oyo, in Oyo State.
She was said to have been in that state of mental disorder for the past seven years unattended to.
Popularly referred to as Mary, her real name is Bose Oyeleru. She hails from Fiditi in the Afijio Local Government Area of the state.
Slim and dark complexioned, Bose is said to have attended Fiditi Grammar School, after which she proceeded to the university.After her higher education, she had the mandatory National Youths Service Corps (NYSC).
She joined the Oyo State Police Command after her service year and she was transferred to Atiba Divisional Command, Akesan and later Akunlemu, all within the ancient town.
Bose, according to source, was redeployed in the Signal section near the divisional command, before she contracted the mental illness.
She is said to be happily married with children.
It was learnt that the lunatic graduate was sleeping within the vicinity of the Signal office before she was chased away.
She later moved to the Government Reservation Area (GRA), at Apitipiti.
A mechanic at Boode-Ogbomoso, Mr. Michael Agboola, also confirmed that there is no day Bose would not get as far as the vicinity of the Signal section, after which she would come to the workshop.
“Before coming to our workshop, she would first get to the Signal section and later come to meet us here. She is not violent but used to play and stay with us. Sometimes, when she is okay, she opens up when we asked questions, and that was how we know that she is a university graduate.
What is however amazing about Bose is that besides the fact that she speaks good English and responds intelligently to questions put before her, she also appears neat all the time, as she goes to beauty saloon to make up her hair.
Investigation further revealed that Bose would leave her “GRA residence” everyday around five in the evening for a stream where she would bathe.
After having her bath, Bose would put on new clothes, often times jeans with T-shirt and some make–up to match, before leaving for Owode, the Central Business District of the ancient town. She returns to her abode late in the night.
Bose was cornered by our correspondent near the Tennis Club, along the GRA residence, where she washes her dirty clothes.
Below is the interview with the lunatic graduate:
Good day, Madam. How are you?
Good day gentleman, what can I do for you because I am on duty here? Please talk.
What are you doing here and where are you from?
I told you I am a guard here and a native of this area, I mean Oyo metropolis. It’s a long story my brother, don’t disturb me, I am very much on duty.
How do you mean?
I am well-read, but don’t know how I find myself in this circumstance. But thank God, am working here.
You mean … (Cuts in)
Sorry, do I not smell because I have not taken my bath.
Do you love my environment? I know it is dirty and bushy, but I am at work, you may not like it, leave me with my plight, I don’t want to be disturbed here.
Are you married?
Of course, but cannot locate either the children or their father now. I am fine. Any problem and why are you bothered? After all, they are my children. What again?
Where do you stay?
I am sleeping at a building (GRA) over there. But wait and listen, these people do not allow me to sleep. They come late at night to trouble me and force me into doing it. They come with cars.
Force you to do what?
Don’t you know what a man and a woman do together when they meet? It is not their fault because they treat me because of my condition. Hmmmmn. Me, a whole graduate of university.
Which university did you attend?
Wetin again. Please leave me alone. You are disturbing me on duty here.
Several efforts by our correspondent to locate her family at Fiditi, a distance of about thirty minutes from Oyo town were to no avail.
However, residents have expressed concern over increasing large number of young people with mental disorders in the ancient town.
About 300 lunatics were said to be residing in the ancient town alone.
Investigation showed that most of these mentally deranged people, who were non-indigenes, were brought and dumped from outside the ancient town, by some individuals after allegedly using them for money rituals.
Some residents were said to be exploiting the situation by having sexual intercourse at night with the female ones among the lunatics.
Consequently, these female lunatics were abandoned without any care whatsoever after being impregnated.
Few good-spirited individuals usually come to the assistance of the pregnant lunatics, by taking them to the health centres, in some cases, as well as provide for their needs to ensure safe delivery.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Department of Community Medicine, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, the state capital indicated that approximately, one in five of the world’s youth, 15 years and younger suffer from mild to severe mental disorders.
A large number of these children remain undetected and untreated. It noted that mental health is one of the more recently added components of Primary Health Care (PHC), and means more than merely the presence or absence of obvious mental illness.
“In Nigeria, 28.5 per cent of those attending primary healthcare setting in an urban area were found to have psychiatric morbidity. The disintegration of the traditional, extended family due to factors such as economic migration, inevitably creates mental health of the individuals in the society. Concerns for job security and the economic survival of the household can also create enormous pressure on individuals, which may in turn affect their mental health.”
The study also revealed that the adolescent age group was found to have higher psychiatric morbidity when compared to the adults in Oyo State.
It underlines the effect of family structure on the mental health of the population, adding that marriage was found to be associated with mental stability in the state.
Those separated from their spouses, divorcees and widows, the study indicated had a higher mental morbidity.
“Sticking to acceptable family structures may create mental tension in the communities. Aspiration to meet up to the community standards is usually a common source of mental illness, large family size and unemployment was also found to be associated with increase in psychiatric morbidity,” it said.
The adolescent period is a turbulent period in life when there is a transition into adulthood and self autonomy.
While stating that the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity is high in the state, the study stressed the need for mental health promotional services for the rural population.
It further said, “Basic needs provided by the government in both rural and urban areas, especially made available to the younger generation and promotion of family planning to reduce family size, would help to reduce psychiatric morbidity, and improve quality of life in the Africa population.
