The Need to Optimize Mental Health Bill to Improve Mental Wellness

By Ugo Aliogo

Ugo Aliogo examines the impact of mental health awareness on adolescents and young people’s development in the country while highlighting the need for healthcare professionals to implement innovative education with the passing of the mental health bill to drive sustainable outcomes.

In January, 2023, the Mental Health Bill 2021 was passed into law. The Act is a significant step forward for mental health in Nigeria as it seeks to promote and protect the lives of people suffering from mental illness and eradicate every form of stigmatization and discrimination among them.

Globally, a significant portion and devastating percentage of the population are grappling with various mental health challenges. Mental health remains a pressing issue in the country both in schools, workforce population, corporate organisation and among teenage, youths and adolescents.

The idea necessitated both medical experts and health analysts to build several conversations and topics around mental health issues to stem the tide of mental breakdown in various institutions and corporate sectors which has slumped performance of workforce with poor delivery, economic loss, shrinking production base, labour lost among other casualties.

Organisation and corporate sectors have recorded severe loss due to damage of mental health issues on workforce productivity as many organizations now see mental health education as a corporate social responsibility by providing the needed mental health and awareness campaign to staffs and trainees.

According to Word Health Organization (WHO) one in seven (14 percent) 10-19 years old experience mental health condition globally.

WHO noted that in Nigeria One in six young people age 15 to 24 are at risk of mental health issues with the most common issues of mood disorder (anxiety and depression) substance use disorder and suicide.

This according to them called for greater attention to extension and advisory services as a sustainable pathway to build mental health awareness campaign for teenagers and youths.

Diving on the topic, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Action Health Incorporated sought the need to promote young people’s health and development by informing public debate with cadre of professionals to implement innovative education and healthcare programmes.

To this end, stakeholders and professionals were drawn across various segments to discuss about mental health issues among adolescents and adults in a panel discussion.

The stakeholders and mental health analyst also described the theme of the Annual Festival of Teenage Festival of Life, (TFL) as a tool to harness, scale and promote mental health sustainability practices to drive favourable outcomes in institutions, workplace and while recognizing that it as a global issue.

They, however intensified, efforts from research organizations to amplify mental health practices by closing the gap regarding the dissemination of information surrounding mental health and awareness campaign to boost productivity, education and innovative learning on adolescents and adult mental health.

They also described the theme of the TFL as a tool to harnessing, scaling and regenerating mental health sustainability practices to drive favourable outcomes while recognizing that across the globe, efforts from research organizations have the potential to amplify mental health practices by closing the gap regarding the dissemination of innovations in the sector.

Speaking at the 28th Annual Teenage Festival of Life with the theme: Mental Health: Adolescent and Young People Taking Action, Executive Director (AHI), Mrs. Adenike Essiet, said TFL is a forum that enables young people and relevant stakeholders and institutions to identify the plights facing youths through artistic presentation with a view to enlisting them as critical stakeholders.

She disclosed that through the event, AHI seeks to promote youth’s health and development towards their successful transition to adulthood.

Essiet noted that the theme would break the silence of mental health condition, promote more and encourage help-seeking behaviour that would create a supportive and informed society.

She said mental health remains a pressing issue in the country with a significant portion of the population grappling with various mental health challenges.

Essiet noted that beyond the impact of health and wellness, mental health has been associated with severe economic loss due to high cost of treatment, and impairment leading to inability to work and perform optimally especially among young people.

She said many young people are coping with the transition from childhood, adolescence and adulthood which carries much stressors that they are struggling with and no one is talking about it.

She affirmed that stigmatization and discrimination are pushing young people further, stating that it not surprising that many young people are committing suicide, slumping into depression and running away from home because of the label attached to it.

Essiet added: “AHI decided to draw attention to it by encouraging young people to speak out and come out of their shells by talking about their experiences, learn where to find help and destigmatize mental health issues.

“The mental health bill was passed into law in January 2023. The Act is a significant step forward for mental health in Nigeria as it seeks to promote and help the lives of people suffering from Mental illnesses and eradicate every form of stigmatization and discrimination among them.”

Also speaking, Gender and Reproductive Health Analyst, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr. Esther Somefun said the UN agency was involved in strategies, programmes and tools to assist government in responding to health needs of adolescents.

Somefun espoused that there was no health, without mental health, adding that it was central to human dignity while calling for action to end the stigma surrounding Mental health.

She also appealed to the government and stakeholders to integrate mental health and psychosocial support across to enhance mental wellbeing and achieve sustainable goal.

In his remarks, the An Associate Professor of Psychiatry, College of Medicine University of Ibadan, Psychiatrist, Dr. Jibril Abdulmalik, stated that eight of every 10 Nigerians with mental health problems are not getting any treatment.

He said a WHO 2006 survey revealed that 80 percent of Nigerians suffering from mental health are not getting the needed treatment they need.

He also stated that only two out of 10 are getting any treatment, adding that people suffering from mental health don’t believe it is something to go to hospital as a result they suffer from ignorance, shame, labelling and stigma.

Abdulmalik noted that mental health problems in Nigeria have been on the increase over time, adding that in children and young people, there is increasing rates of drug abuse, suicide and suicidal behaviour and dementia associated with the elderly.

He remarked that there had been reports on social media of young people in universities, and even secondary school, who become depressed, try to take their own life and run away from home.

According to him, “So, because of that shame and stigma, many people are suffering in silence and they are not getting the care they need, and that is a major challenge, we have to make progress as a society. We need to be able to have a society where there is no stigma and shame. The same way I will not be ashamed to tell you that I have a fracture or Asthma. I should not be ashamed to say I’m depressed or have bipolar disorder.

“So, we need to promote information, and public awareness, until we get to that stage where people are no longer embarrassed to come forward to receive treatment. The last thing is also that many people believe that mental illness is a spiritual problem, and it is not a medical problem. So, in the middle of the road approach what I appeal for is that we don’t say don’t pray, but at least go to hospital and take treatment and then support the treatment with prayers, they should not be mutually exclusive.

“We have eight specialist neuro psychiatric hospitals in Nigeria, and two new ones, one in Kano and the other in Ilorin. Then some teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres, some of them not all of them, have departments of mental health or psychiatric and not all of them do. So, we have less than 300 psychiatrists for a population of 200 million, so that roughly translates to just about one psychiatrist to per 1 million population. So that is another reason why people are not getting the care they need.”