By Lilian U. Okoro
Hunger and hardship have increased as a result of economic downturns and aftermaths of COVID-19 pandemic.
Lots of people lost their jobs, while many are struggling to earn sustainable living wage.
As a result, some people are psychologically challenged, others socially affected and/or emotionally affected.
While some have the ability to overcome, others do not have such abilities, which has led to psychiatric illnesses.
With these, incidences of depression, attempted suicide, deliberate self-harm and other forms of mental illnesses among Nigerians increased .
According to cdc.gov, health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being.
“It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices,” the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that no fewer than 800,000 people die every year through suicide, which equates to one suicide every 40 seconds.
About 85 per cent of suicide occur in low and medium-income countries and Nigeria ranks 67th in in suicide incidences in the world, the report says.
Suicide prevention remains a universal challenge as every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for people of all ages.
A Psychiatrist, Dr Samuel Aladejare, decries the increasing incidences of mental health cases, attributing the development to post COVID-19 effects and economic hardship in the country.
Aladejare, a Resident Doctor at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Lagos, said the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturns negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders.
He explains that an economic downturn affects people’s lives in many ways which include through higher unemployment, reduced economic activities, reductions in income and wealth, and greater uncertainty about future jobs and income.
“Even, in our wards now, we see lots of people coming down with depressive illnesses – attempted suicide and deliberate self-harm.
“By the time we look at the primary causes of these illnesses, it is usually traced to financial or economic challenges,” he said.
The psychiatrist, therefore, advises Nigerians to manage their earnings properly to guard against psychiatric illnesses due to depression and economic hardships.
He tells them to learn to plan with whatever they earn and avoid setting unrealistic goals, as it can lead to illicit acts and unhealthy medical conditions.
Aladejare says there is need for Nigerians to set their goals and targets according to their capabilities and financial resources, rather than setting goals that their finances can not carry.
He also stresses that setting goals above one’s capabilities can lead to emotional or mental illness in the course of achieving the target and can make one to be involved in illegal activities in life.
According to him, many Nigerians are fond of placing their hands where they cannot reach; which is responsible for the incessant increase in criminal acts and social vices in the country today.
“Good mental health is absolutely fundamental to overall health and well-being. As individuals; we have to try and manage our finances; make do with what we have.
“That means that I have to roll with the economic situation at any time so as not to allow my emotional and mental state to be affected by it.
“We don’t want more people to break down with psychiatric illnesses, because of financial or economic challenges,” he said.
The National Vice-President of Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN), Dr Veronica Nyamali, advises that life should be seen from a mixed angle of good, sweet and bad.
Nyamali, also a Psychiatrist with the Federal Neuro-psychiatrist Hospital Yaba, decries that the country is filled with a lot of challenges.
According to her, economic downturns and hardships have made some Nigerians to consider suicide, resort to drug abuse or engage in immoral behaviours.
Nyamali proffers some ways to avoid coming down with or handle mental health challenges.
She encourages Nigerians to learn to take life easy and develop positive coping/adaptive mechanisms rather than considering negative thoughts like commiting suicide or engaging in domestic violence when faced with challenges.
The psychiatrist calls for mental health education to make people understand that life generally comes with challenges as life can be good/sweet at one time and bad at other times.
“There is need to change the mindset of Nigerians toward life; making them to understand that life itself is full of challenges and the challenges are what will make way for the successful stories.
“Unfortunately, some people consider negative coping mechanism when faced with life challenges.
“Engaging in drug abuse in face of challenges will only give temporary pleasure and satisfaction, which when the drug clears out, the challenges remain.
“Even considering suicide should not be an option for life challenges of any sort.
“Constantly surrounding yourself with positive people, sharing worries, speaking out and seeking for help are options that can help in time of challenges.
“We need to create time for relaxation and look beyond the economic situation of the country; we need to focus on positive in every bad situation,” she advises.
The psychiatrist urges Nigerians to always be satisfied and content with what they have and can afford.
She says that many people have lost their lives due to greed and putting of their hands above their capability.
Also, a Professor of Nursing, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof. Fatai Badru, identifies that the devastating effects of insurgent attacks, insecurity, economic hardships and other crises across the country, have left several people in need of psychiatric evaluation.
He emphasises that though victims of these crises are often affected psychologically, little or no attention us given to provide them with health care that will cater for their needs.
The psychiatric nurse also expresses concern that “triggers of trauma” is on the rise due to increasing spate of economic challenges in the country.
Badru lists such causes and challenges as financial imbalance, joblessness, underemployment, insecurity, inflation and family/relationship problems, among others.
He warns that as a result of the development, cases of mental health will continue to increase unless urgent measures were taken by government to resolve the numerous crises/challenges confronting the country.
Recommending some solutions to the situation, he appeals to government agencies and international donor organisations, to pay more attention to mental health care delivery.
Badru, also a psychiatric nurse, says there are more people with mental health problems than those living with HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
“Those living with the condition are significantly more than those living with HIV/AIDS,” he argues.
“Mental health is as important as physical health.
“But you find out that agencies of government and international organisations focus more on catering for the physical needs of the people rather than the mental needs.
“Nigeria has mental health policy, but this policy is not being implemented.
“For too long, mental disorders have been largely overlooked despite the fact that they are found in all countries.
“Mental disorders are found in women and men; at all stages of life; among the rich and the poor; and in both rural and urban settings.
“If people with mental disorders fail to receive the treatment and care they require, they risk becoming marginalised by society and many descend into poverty and homelessness,” he says.
He says lack of political support, inadequate management, over-burdened health services and resistance from policy makers and health workers have hampered the development of coherent mental health system in Nigeria.
He says that several people, especially those in rural communities, who are in need of psychological evaluation and support, cannot access them due to the poor state of mental health institutions.
The professor stresses the need for NGOs, governments, agencies, international donor organisations and families to work together to address issues of mental health.
He also urges the Federal Government to make building a mentally stable society one of its major priority by ensuring that basic necessities of life are made available.
Lending his voice, Prof. Taiwo Sheikh, identifies drug/substance abuse as the new force driving social vices and increasing mental health crises in the country.
Sheikh, a Professor of Psychiatry at the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, decries the impacts of drug abuse on economy, attributing all the social vices in the country to the influence of drug/substance abuse.
He blames the degree of insecurity, kidnapping, rape, violence and other social vices that are bedeviling the country on drug abuse.
The professor explains that when an individual stands up to go kidnap or rape his fellow human being, it is an indication that such individual is not mentally stable.
He adds that no human being under normal sense of thinking will perpetrate such acts except he/she is under the influence of some drugs or psychoactive substances.
According to him, the adverse effects of drugs abuse on the Nigerian economy are massive that more stringent measures should be deployed to curb the menace, saying that over 90 per cent of mental health cases are caused by drug abuse.
On some ways to address the situation, he canvasses that more stringent measures be adopted in tackling the issue of substance/drug abuse to change the narrative.
He notes that there is need for government to put in place policies that would drive people away from getting involved in drug abuse.
“The laws regarding drugs abuse in the country should be reviewed, so as to have offenders duly punished; it will serve as deterrent to others.
“All the enforcement agencies including the government should collaborate in efforts to curb drug abuse because it requires multi-dimensional approach.
“In doing that, there is need for a conducive environment such that, there will be no compromise of any sort from any quarter or agency,” Sheikh says.
The professor also identifies lack of optimal mental health well-being, challenges, idleness, frustration and peer group as some of the contributing factors to drug abuse.
Sheikh says the fact remains that there us lack of optimal mental well-being in the country, as a result many who have underlying mental conditions.
He, therefore, urges the Federal government to pay attention to mental health by creating sustainable mental health delivery system and ensuring that citizens have access to good mental healthcare.
He says: “More attention should be given to the mental health of the people so as to reduce social crises in the society in order to create room for citizens to enjoy optimal mental health well-being.
“Similarly, government should create more job opportunities and provide basic amenities and enabling environment for the citizens to be gainfully engaged, as joblessness and idleness lure many into drugs”.
In all, to address the increasing incidences of mental health challenges with its associated outcomes, experts propose that governments should give priority attention to mental health of the citizens.
This is by ensuring the availability of quality mental health facilities and services, as majority of the health care institutions in the country give less attention to mental illness cases.
According to them, there is need for serious investments in mental health care because we have seen that when it is not taken care of and crisis hit, people are really affected.
They also decry the poor state of the few existing psychiatric hospitals/facilities and urge government at all levels to intensify more efforts toward the establishment of more psychiatric hospitals across the country.
“Most states in the country do not have a functional psychiatric hospital, while our few existing psychiatric hospitals are dilapidated, and we have very few specialised cadres.”
They also call for collaboration to complement governments efforts.
“But the truth is that the government may not be able to do enough in tackling the menace of mental health because it does not have enough resources for that.
“While the government is doing what it can, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, and individuals must come together to address the treatment gap in mental health.
”And to provide facilities for those who need treatment before they fall into the wrong hands.
“It is critical that people living with mental health conditions have continued access to treatment and care.
”This is because a failure to take people’s mental and emotional wellbeing seriously will lead to long-term social and economic costs to society,” the mental health experts advise. (NANFeatures)
