- With two or three out of 10 Nigerians affected, we are close to an emergency
There is no reason to doubt the alarming statistics on mental health in Nigeria highlighted by the Federal Ministry of Health. The permanent secretary of the ministry, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, said at a Mental Health Action Committee and Stakeholders’ Workshop in Abuja on November 12: ”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.”
This figure implies that Nigeria has a high rate of mental illness, with about 60 million persons with mental illnesses. Abdullahi shed light on the range of mental afflictions and their manifestations: “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.”
Given that there are a variety of factors that cause mental illness, it would be useful to have a clarification of categories. Experts have identified physical, social, environmental, psychological and genetic factors. It is unclear how many Nigerians are mentally ill as a result of social and environmental factors, but it may well be that such factors account for the highest number of the mentally ill.
Experts offer an explanation on how social and environmental factors can affect mental health: “Where someone lives and their living conditions along with family and community support networks can play a part along with employment status and work stresses. Living in poverty or social isolation, being unemployed or highly stressed in your work can all put pressure on an individual’s mental health.”
In Nigeria today, it is easy to point at serious stress, harsh economy, unstable power supply, perennial fuel crisis, massive unemployment and immense poverty, among unfavourable factors that could contribute to mental illness. The truth is that too many Nigerians are experiencing hell on earth at this time. The situation calls for a decisive intervention by the authorities.
It is noteworthy that the director of public health, Dr. Evelyn Ngige, who also spoke at the forum, played up the effect of bad socio-economic conditions: “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.”
Indeed, the unhelpful socio-economic context suggests that the estimated percentage of mentally ill Nigerians is conservative. It is a reflection of the hard times that the figures are believed to be understated. There may well be a far greater number of people with mental illness.
It is obvious that the country needs to pay greater attention to mental health. Abdullahi observed: ”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.”
No doubt, it is useful to identify the number of mentally ill people and why they are mentally ill. But that isn’t enough. The solution includes improving prevention, treatment and recovery services, expanding the mental health workforce and educating the public.
The figures are troubling. The authorities should be troubled because it makes no sense to have a government that governs mentally ill people. In particular, the negative socio-economic conditions that trigger mental illness must be addressed and changed. Mental health is important.
