Mental Health Day: Experts lament escalating mental issues

As the World marks Mental Health Day today (October 10), Nguvu Change leaders/mental health experts, Aisha Bubah and Jecinta Egbim, have advised policymakers to collaborate with local stakeholders to build a mental health system that is inclusive, equitable and responsive to the needs of all Nigerians across the states.

They expressed worries that mental health issues in Nigeria were escalating, stressing the need for efforts to bridge the critical gaps in care and the necessity for inclusive, and equitable services.

According to them, there is a need to improve investment in accessible mental health support by training primary healthcare workers and establishing mental health desks in clinics.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 720,000 people die by suicide yearly, with 77 per cent of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries, such as Nigeria. The country also has one of the highest rates of depression in Africa, yet it struggles with a severe shortage of mental health professionals.

A 2021 report by the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) revealed that only 250 psychiatrists are serving Nigeria’s estimated 215 million people.

Speaking on the day, Bubah, who doubles as a psychologist, said improved access to mental healthcare across Nigeria would help to mitigate its social and economic impacts.

Bubah, who recently launched a campaign urging the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) to train primary healthcare workers as lay counsellors providing basic mental health support and referrals, also pointed out the importance of training doctors and nurses to address mental health concerns at the community level.

Her counterpart, Egbim, who focused on the mental well-being of adolescents in conflict-affected public schools, called for mandatory counselling units to address students’ trauma.

She draws attention to the severe psychological impact of crises like bombings, kidnappings and bandit attacks, particularly in states such as Kaduna. Egbim noted an urgent need to establish mandatory guidance and counselling units in public schools, as outlined in Nigeria’s National Policy on Education.

MEANWHILE, a clinical psychologist, AdedotunAjiboye, has urged communities nationwide to prioritise adolescent mental health, saying it is a major health concern. Ajiboye, who works with the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, told journalists yesterday in Abuja that advocacy was necessary as one in five adolescents experienced mental health disorders.

Ajiboye spoke against the backdrop of the International Adolescent Health Week, noting that data revealed that 31.9 per cent of adolescents had anxiety disorders, while 14.3 per cent suffered depression. He added that 17.2 per cent of high school students had suicidal thoughts/attempts.

Ajiboye said some risk factors included a family history of mental health disorders, social media and technology overuse, peer pressure and bullying. Other risk factors, he said, were academic stress and expectations, trauma caused by abuse, neglect, or loss, social isolation and loneliness, as well as substance abuse.