Nigeria has made significant advancements in addressing the different public health problems with the help of policy development and legislation, research, and training and now advancement is taking place in integrating the mental health issues with the physical health ones too.
Mental health even though important is neglected and is not given as much importance as physical health but that needs to be changed. According to reports from the World Health Organization, 450 million people are facing issues with mental disorders and 25% of the global population go through some sort of mental illness at one or the other point in their life.
According to a study titled, “Mental health in Nigeria: A Neglected Issue in Public Health”, a survey was conducted by the Africa Polling Institute and EpiAFRIC that demonstrated that the Nigerians were aware of different mental health disorders but still, the awareness of mental health is low. Therefore a bit of work is required to be done, perhaps but that will not be a problem in Nigeria which from time to time has shown progress in the health sector and it is evident from its fight against COVID-19 and Ebola virus. Here are a few recommendations to further improve the status of mental health of Nigerians.
1. Training of human resource
The human resources of Nigeria should be properly trained to address the issue of mental health, which primarily can be done by firstly, increasing the number of professionals in the psychiatry and mental health support professionals and then, further training them about it. For instance, affirmations can truly make a morning, a real Good Morning which can be taught to improve mental health. The approach for the same should be outreach and then, training. In addition to that, public awareness campaigns can be run to ensure that they themselves become capable enough to handle the different mental health disorders.
2. More investment in mental healthcare
The mental health care system can be drastically improved with the help of a bit of investment. For instance, little investment can be made for substantial increases in the counselling of people suffering from mental health disorders. Also, the funding can similarly be used for integrating the mental health care system into the existing health and social protection programs and protocols.
3. Mental health services should become a part of primary care
Many countries like Ghana, Chile, Thailand and Ethiopia, have their mental health care package included in the national benefits plans. Nigeria can follow the examples of these countries to include the mental health service package into the primary health care service of the country. For the same, budgetary allocations need to be maintained for including the mental health service in the primary care service.
4. Mental health services through digital platforms
It is a good idea to run different mental health services, especially the ones that are conducted through Non-Government Organizations. The internet penetration in Nigeria has improved, therefore Nigeria can use it to leverage it to improve the mental health awareness programmes through various platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Emails. Cool Photos can be included in making the poster for the same to make it look more attractive. The different stakeholders, especially the private organization can organize such mental health campaigns as a part of their corporate social responsibility.
5. Research and development
Simply creating mental health awareness is not enough. It is equally important to work on the research and development of mental health services in the country too. The research in the mental health sector can be guaranteed through more investment in this sector from other stakeholders, especially the government and NGOs. Also, researching different topics of mental health will put the situation in the limelight for the general public. Such discussions should be encouraged amongst both the professionals and the common people of Nigeria.
With the collaborative effort of the policymakers, international organizations and the governments, further steps can be taken toward improving the mental health status of the Nigerians. Mental health has globally become a topic of discussion, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Such discussion should be carried on, and work should be done. This is true not only for Nigeria but also for the other countries too. Mental health and physical health has a correlation between them, and the overall well-being of an individual can only be guaranteed when both aspects of the health are taken care of.