By Adeoye Oyewole

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It is disturbing to know that the bulk of our non-governmental initiatives that address our health concerns such as HIV-AIDS, poliomyelitis and even mental illness are from outside of the country.

While I agree that our country is a developing one, it has enough resources to address its health challenges. We have a serious mental health challenge that requires holistic intervention.

It could be a son, who is abusing marijuana and so has dropped out of several universities; or a daughter who could not adjust to marriage and has come down with mental illness.

Our corporate business world is charged with deadlines and targets that predispose the employees to mental health problems. The sales executives, who are always on the road with little rest, may be abusing drugs that can damage their mental health as well as our security guards.

Our soldiers fighting insurgents are strongly predisposed to mental illness due to warfare and loss of colleagues. Those who survive insurgency face mental trauma that requires mental health intervention. Long- distance drivers, who must meet deadlines, have to take stimulants that damage their mental health, a habit that is mostly responsible for many of our road accidents.

Our top executives operate under pressure to keep the business going, especially in our unstable financial environment and are predisposed to mental health issues that impair judgment with grave consequences.

Political foot soldiers, who are perpetually on the move, strategising to ensure that their candidates win, often abuse stimulants and other recreational drugs to be active.

Young people in our secondary schools and higher institutions are abusing cough syrups, tramadol mixed with spirits as party concoctions. They come down with problems that impair their judgment and predispose them to anti-social behaviour.

Marriage ordinarily should safeguard mental health but in our generation, it has become a battleground of sorts with profound mental health consequences.

There are increasing cases of homicide and suicide associated with marital conflict. Children brought up in an atmosphere of intense marital conflict are more prone to mental illness later in life.

Many of our teenage mothers lack the emotional and financial resources to nurture their children, who may later take to the streets and constitute mental health burden to the society.

Beyond our epidemiological surveys, there are apparent signs of grave mental health challenge confronting our society. The population of the homeless mentally ill is increasing without any form of intervention.

We even usually see well-dressed individuals who are unduly angry and keep talking to themselves at bus stops and other public places. Our religious houses have a good number of folks with profound mental health challenges seeking a template to express their paranoid ideas against certain persons.

We can take initiatives at addressing this burden by reviewing our parenting strategies. We should learn to communicate effectively with our children and ensure their proper guidance in love.

When we suspect a sudden change in behaviour of our children or spouse or neighbours, we should endeavour to go for professional mental health consultation. Leaders of business organisations need to incorporate a mental health development programme as part of the staff training.

Beyond the physical presence of workers at their duty posts, their mental well-being is the most crucial asset in the discharge of their duties. Rather than some sporadic medical consultations abroad, our chief executives need to have a template for mental well-being assessment as they review processes in their organisations that are injurious to mental health.

Communities can assume responsibilities for the homeless and mentally ill in their neighbourhood by taking them for treatment and rehabilitation. No corporate organisation in Nigeria has attempted to build a rehabilitation centre for youths that are victims of substance abuse or for those that are mentally ill from other causes.

Our politicians and other privileged individuals can organise a treatment and rehabilitation programme for the mentally ill just as endowments can be named in the memory of our late parents for mental health intervention.

There are opportunities for media advocacy programmes that can be geared towards public education. Religious organisations can also champion treatment and rehabilitation programmes for the mentally ill through the template of their doctrines.

Mental health studies can be incorporated into the training of our clergymen so that they can be good channels of referral and intervention. For anyone or group or organisation with such intentions; I can be contacted through my email address. We do not have to wait always for some foreign donor to address our problems.


By Adeoye Oyewole, Consultant Psychiatrist, adeoyewole2000@yahoo.com

Flexherbal:
Nice one!

MadCow1:
Its too darn long..


This one fit damage my mental health even further.