October 15, (THEWILL) – Nigeria joined the rest of the world last Tuesday to mark the World Mental Health Day, which is observed globally on October 10 every year. The theme for this year’s event, “Mental health is a universal human right”, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions which protect mental health as a human right.
In a message titled “Our minds, our rights” to mark the day, WHO stated, “World Mental Health Day 2023 is an opportunity for people and communities to unite behind the theme ‘Mental health is a universal human right” to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.”
The global health body maintained that ”mental health is a basic human right for all people,” adding, ”Everyone, whoever and wherever they are, has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risks, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community.”
According to WHO, good mental health is vital to overall health and well-being. Yet, one in eight people globally are living with mental health conditions, which can “impact their physical health, their well-being, how they connect with others and their livelihoods. Mental health conditions are also affecting an increasing number of adolescents and young people.”
Depressive symptoms are said to be growing from a base of about 193 million people worldwide to 246 million in 2023, and this translates to about 28 percent, while anxiety disorders are believed to be growing from about 298 million people affected to 374 million, which is about a 25 percent increase. The number of Nigerians living with mental challenges is about 60 million, according to the President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), Taiwo Obindo, who is also the Chairman, Faculty of Psychiatry, West African College of Physicians, Nigeria Chapter.
According to Obindo, “Mental healthcare is in a sorry state given that we have more than 60 million Nigerians suffering from various mental illnesses and the fact that only about 10 percent of them were able to access appropriate care. We are left with more than 90 per cent who are unable to access care and this group is called the treatment gap for mental illnesses.’’
We are therefore not surprised at the weird behaviours and actions of many Nigerians in recent times as many appear to be losing their sanity at a very fast rate, doing the unthinkable and committing the most wicked crimes even against their close family members. Apparently the situation in Nigeria is further compounded by the economic hardships prevailing in the country as the majority of the people now find it difficult to put food on their tables, a situation that is fast affecting their thinking ability and sound mind.
Sadly, the government seems not to be realising the grave danger this development portends for the country and its people, especially the younger generation, which is the most affected as legislations to address the mental challenges are not really enforced where applicable.
THEWILL recalls that in January 2023, a little over 60 years after the Lunacy Act of 1958 was established, giving medical practitioners the power to detain people suffering from mental illnesses, the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari , finally signed into law the National Mental Health Act, 2021.
We therefore call for the full implementation of the law, which is also aimed at making mental health a human right rather than a case for stigmatisation and neglect.
We also call on governments at all levels to take mental health seriously now than before given the prevailing depression and anxiety as well as the resort to the use of illicit and hard drugs among Nigerians. Failure to do the needful now is like sitting on a keg of gunpowder that is just waiting to explode.
