With the focus of highlighting the essence to treat with dignity people with mental health disorders, the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Lagos, in partnership with Shaping Lives Foundations, has over the weekend marked the World Mental Health Day in Lagos, with an event to create awareness of the need to stop stigmatizing mentally challenged persons.

The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is “Dignity in Mental Health”.

According to the UNIC Director, Mr. Ronald Kayanja, in his welcome address, is in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable and Development Goals.

“Often times, persons with mental health illness are denied employment, because they are discriminated against,” these people will not get out of poverty, and “we can not achieve the sustainable goals, as it is to eradicate poverty,” he added.

Kayanja, in an interview with The Guardian, disclosed that mental health is one of the many elements of health conditions; the World Health Organization (WHO) is working toward with the Nigerian government.

The UNIC director noted that, many times people with mental health challenges are accused of being possessed by demons, and are taking to the wrong places for treatment.

Mental illnesses are like any other illness a person can have, and there are treatments for them, he remarked.

He emphasized that the focus of the event was to think about people, with mental health challenge in the country and learn to treat them with respect.
He explained that one out of every six people in Africa have one mental health disorder or the other, though with varying severities.