(By Itoro Godwin)

Minister of health,  Prof Isaac Adewole, has urged Nigerians to practice preventive health care especially at this economic recession.

The Minister who was represented by Dr Evelyn Ngige, Director of Public said this recently in Lagos at the 2016 World Mental Health day symposium by Novo Health Ltd with the theme, “Emotional and Psychological Wellbeing in Economic Crisis”.

She noted that there is need for Nigerians to be enlightened  and educated about health issues so as to prevent diseases and cope with the present change.

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Dr Maymuna Kadiri, who spoke on “Avoiding depression in recession” said every human being has a mental illness at one point, but when it exceeds two weeks, then it turns to mental derailment and that is the state at which one is taken to a psychiatrist.

She  said some factors that could result to mental illness include family history, low energy level, circumstances beyond one’s control and not been in a good state of mind. She also said that factors that could help one to be stable is exercise and relaxing after an hectic day.

Dr Dorothy Jeff Nnamani, Managing Director, Novo Health, who spoke on “Promoting Mental Health: the Role of the Society”, stressed that Nigerians must learn to protect those that are mentally challenged “and before one could do that, they must first create an atmosphere for the derailed person to speak up on time. We all are faced with mental illness especially now that the recession is biting hard but we must not allow that to overcome us especially our health which is one of our priorities,” she said.