MENTAL HEALTH AND PUBLIC AWARENESS
The authorities could do more to contain the scourge
The overriding objective of the World Mental Health Day being marked tomorrow is not only to raise awareness of a challenge that afflicts hundreds of millions but also to mobilise efforts in support of the afflicted. Sadly, this is a challenge being treated with levity in Nigeria. Observed on 10th October every year, the 2026 official theme announced by the World Federation for Mental Health is “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change.” The primary focus is to highlight the importance of listening to people who share personal experiences that could help drive policy change, reduce stigma, and improve care systems.
With only nine federal neuropsychiatric hospitals in the country, serious budget constraints and the exodus of many experts in the field who seek greener pastures abroad, it comes as no surprise that mental illness is on the rampage in Nigeria. For years, the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) has been raising the alarm that no fewer than 60 million Nigerians live with one form of mental disorder or the other. More unfortunate is that of these numbers, about 90 per cent have been reported not to have access to appropriate mental care. But the number of Nigerians suffering from one mental illness or the other – from the mild to the severe – is likely to grow because there is no commensurate plan in place to address it.
On 5th January 2023, the late President Muhammadu Buhari signed the National Mental Health Bill 2021 into law. The act repealed the Lunacy Act of 1958 which considered mental illness as an embarrassment and a disturbance to the society and therefore recommends that people with such health conditions be kept away in asylum without specific care. The new Act prohibits forced treatment, seclusion, or restraint without proper safeguards and allows patients to help create their medical plans. But to successfully address the challenge, the authorities must do more to address the issue of stigma while an awareness campaign is also important for the prevention of social habits that are detrimental to mental health, especially among young people.
As many experts have repeatedly said, mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Like diabetes and heart disease, it is a medical condition which is treatable. Many people with mental health illness return to a productive and fulfilling life after promptly seeking help. But the country is not doing enough to tackle this public health emergency, and it is responsible for the growing cases of suicides. Stemming the tide requires a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach involving various government ministries, agencies, and departments, (MDAs) especially that of health, labour and employment, and social services.
According to health professionals, mental health includes the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of people, and they affect the way such individuals think, feel, and behave. There are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness, but the more common disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. They attribute the cause of mental illness to three factors: biological, which include genes or brain chemistry; life experiences, such as trauma or abuse, and family history.
Considering that mental disorder is becoming a growing epidemic in the country, we encourage authorities at both federal and the states to, as a matter of urgency, create a statutory budget line for mental health in the annual budgetary allocation, as this would ensure funding for the public health issue is protected. This fund should be used for the integration of mental care into primary health across local governments in the country, as well as to ensure that every general hospital has a department for mental health with accompanying psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and psychologists running the department.