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Mental wellness experts take awareness to Magodo residents

By Stanley Akpunonu
13 July 2018   |   4:21 am
Medical Director, Tranquil and Quest, Dr Otefe Edebi has said awareness and literacy play a crucial role in mental wellness and healthcare delivery because early presentation and detection leads to early intervention.

Dr. Otefe Edebi

Medical Director, Tranquil and Quest, Dr Otefe Edebi has said awareness and literacy play a crucial role in mental wellness and healthcare delivery because early presentation and detection leads to early intervention.

Edebi made the remarks during Magodo Residents’ Association (MRA) Mental Awareness Seminar with the theme ‘See the Unseen.’Stressing that literacy can change the whole picture of the menace, he said pushing the boarders of mental awareness and literacy focuses on depression and substance abuse.“Statistics shows that depression is number three cause of death globally among ages 14-29. If people begin to identify that what they are struggling for is depression, then they can seek help. Literacy and awareness is a huge tool in healthcare,” said Edebi.

The Tranquil and Quest boss advised public to seek for help when whatever they are going through is beginning to affect how they function or when there may be risk for harm or destructive behaviour either to themselves or to others especially if the behaviour is repeated for a long time.

Similarly, Consultant Psychiatrist, Lagos State University Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Kehinde Sodimu said there is a thin line between normal and abnormal behaviour.She explained “For instance when we hear voices of people we cannot see, it do happen to normal people but the difference now is with psychiatrics’ symptoms that their functioning and relationship.

“After all these symptoms, they attribute it to people and they become paranoid. Once the social functioning is affected work, relationship and family functions are affected it becomes an abnormal symptom.” Sodimu stated that mental health is somehow concealed unlike others physical diseases. “It is there but people won’t see it. They think they can manage themselves. What we are doing is bringing mental health to the front so that people identify the symptoms and seek help for,” she explained.

The Consultant Psychiatrist added: “We are here today to educate people to improve awareness and advocate on mental health and its concerns going along with the theme, See the Unseen, using that as a background.“In preventing mental health, we should check our family history to know if there is genetic mental issue. If you are not sleeping well and you feel stressed up why not see a physiatrist.”

Committee Chairperson, MRA, Mrs Waleola Bello said It is a huge honour to contribute to the societal issues of abuse, emotional imbalance, suicidal tendencies and individual productivity of the community and its members.

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