Across Nigeria and indeed the African continent, a young child may be denied of the
opportunity to attend school because the child has a seizure disorder. A young
adolescent may drop out of the University because of a psychotic episode. A female with
mental illness may be taken to a traditional or religious healer where they are chained
and may be sexually abused. Others may suffer food deprivation, physical beatings
(purportedly for exorcism), and so on. Many families are stigmatized and find it difficult
to marry their children because they have been labeled as a family with someone who
has a history of mental health challenges. Some aged senior citizens with dementia
suffer abuse because the family and caregivers are emotionally exhausted and are at
their wit’s end – and simply cannot comprehend what is going on. In some tragic cases,
elderly women with dementia have been beaten to death following accusations of
witchcraft. Increasingly, more young people are struggling with their emotional well-
being and grappling with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and suicidal
thoughts/behaviour. Recreational drug abuse is on the rise and is causing a devastating
impact on our youth, their families, and society at large.
In the sea of all these challenges, we have a long history of governmental neglect and
low priority for mental health at federal as well as state levels. When you superimpose
widespread ignorance and misconceptions about mental disorders, which results in
shame, stigma and discrimination in our society, then you can begin to appreciate the
magnitude of the challenges which persons with mental health challenges and their
families go through.
What are the facts?
Mental illnesses are very common, with the World Health Organization estimating that 1
in every 4 persons will suffer from a mental disorder in their lifetime. This implies that
every family has a risk of 1 family member having a mental disorder at some point in
their life if we take the average family size as 4 (father, mother, and two children).
Expanding this estimate will imply that about 50 million Nigerians may suffer from a
mental disorder at some point in their lifetime. So undoubtedly, they are very common
conditions.
Second, mental disorders are a spectrum of different types. Some may be disorders of
mood such as depression, or anxiety disorders such as phobias, panic attacks etc. Others
may be psychotic conditions – where they are hearing or seeing things that are not there
(hallucinations) or have abnormal and weird beliefs (delusions) such as a conviction that
the whole world is spying on them and wants to kill them etc. Some occur exclusively in
women such as during pregnancy and childbirth such as postpartum depression or
postpartum psychosis. Substance use problems is also a unique category of challenges
that is increasing in magnitude daily.
We can also describe these conditions based on when they occur across the lifespan –
from infancy to old age. There are conditions that occur or start in childhood, such as
autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder etc. Others may start in adolescence or
young adulthood such as depression, substance use, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia etc.
While some develop only in old age, such as dementia.
Third, these disorders occur as a result of abnormal changes in the brain and they can be
successfully treated and controlled and the person will be fine and return to normal
productive lives without any challenges. Provided the person continues to take their
treatment and they continue to have regular reviews with their psychiatrist. Now this is
not any different from the treatment of hypertension or diabetes where you have to
take medications as well as regular reviews with your physician for the rest of your life.
We don’t cure diabetes or hypertension – we manage and control them. That is exactly
what we do for mental illness too.
The importance of mental health awareness
Considering the challenges highlighted above, it is clear that there must be concerted
efforts to promote mental health awareness, combat the shame and stigma associated
with it, and encourage people to seek help and show empathy and support for affected
persons and their families. The Asido Foundation (www.asidofoundation) has recorded
tremendous progress in the area of mental health advocacy within the spate of 4 short
years. We commend the dedication of her members as well as encourage us all to
engage in the task of promoting mental health awareness and support for affected
persons and their families. It is a task for us all (religious leaders, the media, individuals,
everyone).
Too many of our citizens are suffering in silence, simply due to a lack of information. This
should not continue. Let us encourage people to visit hospitals and see mental health
professionals when they are struggling with their mental health. There is no health
without mental health.
Dr Jibril Abdulmalik
Tribune Article for the column “Your Mental Health & You”
Thursday, 10th August 2023
Asido Foundation
www.asidofoundation.com
Asivuri Consulting
www.asivuri.com
