Psychiatrists have called for mental health education in secondary schools to help students recognise mental health challenges, protect themselves and seek professional help when necessary.

Child psychiatrist, Dr Grace Ijarogbe, made the recommendation at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, during activities marking the 2026 World Mental Health Day, themed “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.”

She urged families to ensure affected relatives received professional care and called on healthcare workers to identify people experiencing mental health challenges and refer them for appropriate treatment.

Ijarogbe warned that delays in seeking care could leave patients vulnerable, with some wandering away from their communities and becoming difficult to locate. She recounted cases of people who had boarded buses to Ghana while experiencing mental illness and were never found.

She also questioned the implementation of mental health reforms, asking whether government agencies at federal, state and grassroots levels were fulfilling their responsibilities and whether social welfare systems were functioning effectively.

Identifying teenage experimentation with drugs and other psychoactive substances as a major concern, she warned that the consequences could emerge years later, undermining individuals’ ability to contribute productively to society.

“People who are in school should abstain from drugs, substances, anything that is not food,” she said.

Ijarogbe lamented that some people spent as long as five years in religious and traditional healing centres before seeking hospital treatment, where they could potentially recover within two months.

She urged families to avoid stigmatising affected relatives and instead support early intervention to reduce prolonged suffering and improve treatment outcomes.

The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, also cautioned students against experimenting with drugs and other psychoactive substances, warning that they could damage the brain and impair future productivity.

He said the theme underscored the importance of listening to patients, caregivers and researchers to drive meaningful improvements in mental healthcare.

Owoeye dispelled misconceptions that mental illness was contagious or untreatable, noting that patients were more likely to achieve positive outcomes with support from their families, communities and workplaces.

He urged Nigerians to show empathy towards people living with mental health conditions, provide community support and offer them employment opportunities. Seeking professional help, he stressed, should not be regarded as a sign of weakness.

“There is no health without mental health. Mental health issues are no respecter of your creed, your socioeconomic status,” he said.

Owoeye called for early recognition of mental health conditions, identifying possible symptoms such as insomnia, unexplained anxiety or sadness, substance abuse, restlessness and persistent physical complaints, including headaches.

He estimated that about 25 per cent of Nigerians, or approximately 50 million people, had a mental health diagnosis. He also said the number of federal neuropsychiatric institutions had increased from seven to 10 under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.