Consultant psychiatrist, Dr Benjamin Obembe, has identified substance abuse as the major cause of mental health disorders in the country.

Obembe, the keynote speaker at a lecture in commemoration of World Mental Health Day (WMHD) organised by the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital (FNPH), Yaba, Lagos, on Friday, told The Guardian at the sidelines of the event that majority of the mental health cases at the hospital were caused by substance abuse, including alcohol.

He noted that some people resort to alcohol or some other substances to assuage stress, which, according to him, is not bad. He, however, noted that the problem comes when the substance is taken in excess to the point of abuse.

In his keynote address on this year’s WMHD theme, ‘Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophies and Emergencies,’ Obembe asserted that in case of emergencies, everyone is vulnerable; hence, all hands must be on deck to prevent disasters when possible.

He urged individuals not to mind just their mental health alone, but that of those around them.

Access to mental health, he noted, has been an issue; hence, the need for collaboration by government ministries, non-governmental organisations, international bodies and individuals to assist victims.

Acknowledging that brain drain has eaten deep into Nigeria’s human resources in the health sector, the consultant psychiatrist called on everyone to do their bit to help victims and mitigate disasters.

In his opening remarks, the Medical Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Olugbenga Owoeye, said the theme of this year’s WMHD highlights the importance of people being able to lend a helping hand in times of mental health emergencies.

Noting that there is no health without mental health, he called for intensification of efforts to create a world where mental health is accessible

To this end, he stressed the need to strengthen communities to build resistance, expand mental health services and uphold the right of people with severe mental health cases.

“On this day, let us commit to building stronger systems and greater coordination to ensure that mental health is accessible to all,” the Owoeye said.

In his vote of thanks, the Head of Clinical Services, FNPH, Dr. Stephen Oluwaniyi, emphasised that lessons learnt at the event would come handy in times of emergency

He added: “Let us make use of what we learnt today, even as non-professionals, during emergencies.”

Representative of the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Musiliu Olawale, said the state had been proactive in making provision for the management of health emergencies, adding that LASEMA provides immediate psychosocial aid in times of catastrophe.