WHO, experts link hardship to mental disorders
The World Health Organisation (WHO), and some medical practitioners in the country, have expressed concern over the number of people suffering from mental disorders which they said had continued to fuel the number of suicide cases in recent times in Nigeria and across the globe.
Though causes of mental disorders are often unclear, common causes, according to mental health experts, include drug abuse, depression, dementia, schizophrenia, as well as stigma and discrimination.
In Nigeria, the situation is made worse by the current economic hardship which has resulted into frustration, depression, unhappiness, stress, hunger, helplessness and hopeless in the lives of many Nigerians.
Reacting to the report, WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, said: “These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to re-think their approaches to mental health and to treat it with the urgency it deserves.”
Appealing for support for people with mental disorders, Chan stressed the need for urgent and increased investment in mental health, adding that such investment will make sense by proving support for people with mental health disorders.
Her words; “Every US$1 invested in scaling up treatment for depression and anxiety leads to a return of US$ 4 in better health and ability to work. Treatment usually involves either a talking therapy or antidepressant medication or a combination of both.
Failure to act is costly
According to a WHO-led study, which calculated treatment costs and health outcomes in 36 low, middle and high-income countries for the 15 years from 2016-2030, low levels of recognition and access to care for depression and another common mental disorder, anxiety, result in a global economic loss of a trillion US dollars every year.
For the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO, Dr Shekhar Saxena, one of the first steps is to address issues around prejudice and discrimination.
“The continuing stigma associated with mental illness was the reason why we decided to name our campaign Depression: let’s talk. “For someone living with depression, talking to a person they trust is often the first step towards treatment and recovery”, said Saxena.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos to mark the day, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris who expressed worry at the growing cases of suicide in the state, affirmed that Lagos state government had put measures in place to arrest the situation.
Idris said: “The current situation calls for a change in attitudes that perpetuate stigma and discrimination that have isolated people in the past. The new cases of suicide in the state have further substantiated that mental health deserves much higher strategic priority and it is a signal with an articulate and unified voice behind it.
So, we must Talk!
“We also established a Mental Health Desk Office in keeping with international best practices and as advocated by the WHO and headed by a senior official in the Ministry of Health. It is pertinent to state that Lagos State is the first State in Nigeria to create such a desk. In 2012, the State launched its Mental Health Policy which provides for the care of the mentally ill,” he said.
