30% of Nigerians suffer mental illness –FG

The Federal Ministry of Health says about 20 to 30 per cent of Nigerians suffer from mental illness.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, said this at the Mental Health Action Committee and Stakeholders’ Workshop in Abuja on Monday.

Abdullahi said with a population of about 200 million, Nigeria had a high rate of mental illness. This implies that Nigeria has about 60 million persons with mental illnesses.

He said, “There are many different mental disorders, with different presentations. They are generally characterised by a combination of abnormal thoughts, perceptions, emotions, behaviour and relationships with others.

“Mental disorders include: Depression, bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia and other psychoses, dementia, intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders including autism.

“In Nigeria, an estimated 20 to 30 per cent of our populations are believed to suffer from mental disorders. This is a very significant number considering Nigeria has an estimated population of over 200 million.

“Unfortunately, the attention given to mental health disorders in Nigeria is inadequate. The level of awareness of the Nigerian public on mental health issues is also understandably poor, and with lots of misconceptions.”

Also speaking, Director of Public Health, Dr Evelyn Ngige, said mental illness could destabilise a person more than HIV, heart disease, accidents, and wars combined.

She said Nigeria’s mental health statistics was too bad, adding that the high rate of suicide in places like Lagos may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Ngige added, “In Nigeria, an estimated 20 -30 per cent of our populations are believed to suffer from mental disorders, which is a very significant number. Considering the current economic situation in the country, the above statistics are damning and in the light of the recent suicidal episodes recorded in parts of Lagos (which are obviously a tip of the iceberg), it forces a rethink in our general attitudes to mental health and questions our current maintenance of the status quo.”

The director said the committee on mental health had failed to achieve its goal because of lack of funds.

Culled From Punch

Gede's Founder, Dr Jennifer Douglas- Abubakar, Board of Directors and Staff members, welcome Kirsty Smith in Nigeria

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CBM UK, Kirsty Smith visited Gede Foundation  on November 5, 2018, accompanied by CBM’s country representative, Mr. Samuel Omoi. Kirsty was interested in seeing how community mental health projects work and how exactly Gede is making it work. 

The  team, comprising Gede and CBM  staff  visited  one of Gede’s Community Mental Health and Development Project sites in Mpape at the Primary Health Centre, to interact with  healthcare workers and  project beneficiaries. Gede, with support from BasicNeeds UK and USA  is helping  to build  support groups of people with mental illness, epilepsy and their carers. The beneficiaries of the SHG as well as health workers were present at the meet and greet, which took place at the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC). The services users and carers detailed how the programme has benefitted them and their communities. They informed Kirsty about the stigma related issues they faced in the past and how they have been able to overcome them. They further noted that as a support group, they help each other out especially as it relates to medication. They make contributions and help each other out. 

The Team moved to Karu Behaviour Medicine Unit, a secondary health facility where treatment, care and rehabilitation are provided to users. At Karu, the head of the behavioural unit, Dr Daramola, explained the relationship that is existing between Gede and the facility, where indigents patients are benefiting from the treatment costs supported through the project. Dr. Daramola explained the type of help they provide to Gede Foundation beneficiaries but noted that at the moment, they are not privy to bed space. This means that while they can get treated (medicine and therapy), they cannot be admitted to the hospital. Dr. Daramola explained that they are building more bed spaces and with time, more patients can be admitted for close monitoring as the need arises.  Kirsty asked about the gender distribution of in and out patients at the facility. Dr. Daramola responded that the facility has more male patients owing to substance abuse being higher among the men, compared to the women. 

The visit ended with hopes of working together on similar projects in the future. As always, check back to find out more exciting news!