Psychiatrist warns Nigerians of susceptibility to mental illness

A Consultant Psychiatrist of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Prof Alfred Makanjuola, has warned Nigerians to beware of triggering stress leading to mental illness.

Makanjuola made the warnings on Wednesday, during his paper presentation entitled: “Mental Health in a Dwindling Economy”.

The Psychiatrist made his presentation at the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) 2016 Annual General Meetings and Scientific Conference organized in Ilorin.

According to him, people in the country are facing deluge of problems emanating from genetic factors, environmental factors, economic and societal factors.

The expert postulated that there is correlation between the steady rise of mental illness and dwindling economy, especially as the country is in recession and approaching depression.

The Psychiatrist who described mental health as the a state of well-being where an individual realizes his or her abilities and can cope with normal stress of life, be productive and make contribution to the community.

He however explained that such states of well-being are disrupted in one-third of individuals during their lifetime.

“Mental ill problems denote emotional and psychological difficulties, which causes distress and interfere with how people go about their everyday life,” he said.

According to the expert, mental ill health is characterized with sadness, loss of appetite confused thinking, prolonged depression, feelings of extreme highs and lows. Others, he said are excessive fears, worries, anxieties, social withdrawal, dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits and strong feelings of anger among others.

Makanjuola pointed out the society is gradually degenerating from the age-old extended family that we are used to in to becoming the lonely, isolated nuclear family.

He said there is continuous failures in marriages and increasing break-down of children upbringing in the country, adding that some eventually turn to hard drugs which in-turn affect them mentally.

According to him, there is increase in mental illness as the global indices for mental illness indicated 21.2 per cent in 2013 to an increase of 32.4 per cent in 2016.

The expert in mental health advised people to monitor their children and wards, adding that drug abuse have been taking to new levels where common medicines such as tramadol are taken with soft drinks, soups or tea and could not be detected easily by parents.

Makanjuola said there must be principle of equality in access to essential health to enable the achievement of standard health, saying treatment of mental health is not costly as some ailment.

“The government should ensure expansion of mental health and a continuous destigmatisation of people with mental ill health.

Also speaking at the occasion, Vice-Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Prof Mohammed Ibrahim, said that we are all candidate for mental ill-health due to various stresses we face in life.

He added that the financial incapacity as well as societal problems faced by people in the society makes the theme apt and essential topic for discourse.

The VC believed that mental ill health could be overcome through collective effort and commitment from stakeholders in the society.