People with mental health conditions don’t receive due treatment -Psychiatrist

Dr Olufumilayo Akinola, a Consultant Psychiatrist, says there is deficiency in the quality and sufficiency of treatment for people with mental illness receive in Nigeria.

Akinola made the observation at a lecture organised by the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba (FNPHY) on Tuesday in commemoration of 2021 World Mental Health Day with the theme: “Mental Health in an Unequal World”

She said there was huge treatment gap for mental health conditions in the country as mental health services were barely accessible outside the state capitals, and thereby said there was the urgent need to establish mental healthcare facilities at the grassroots and communities where mental health services were needed most.

According to her, research has shown that it can take up to 15 years before medical, social and psychological treatments for mental illness are delivered to the patient that needs care or treatment.

Akinola, therefore, called for collaboration among Non-Governmental Organisations, governments, religious bodies and organisations in promoting and maintaining good mental health status for the country.

She urged them to play an active role in tackling inequality of mental health services in their local areas.

She suggested the need for the nation to scale up investment in mental health, calling for an end to the stigmatisation faced by mental health responders.

“Access to mental health remain unequal with between 75 per cent to 95 per cent of people with mental disorder in low and middle income countries unable to access mental services at all.

“All nation’s must dramatically accelerate the scale-up of investment in mental health, because there is no health without mental health.

“It has become necessary for the Federal Government to increase its allocation, investments and funding on mental health in view of the increasing rate of mental health cases and the huge treatment gap for mental health conditions in the country.“Like other patients suffering from various ailments, people with mental ailment should be shown empathy and not discriminated against,” Akinola said.

She, therefore, called for adoption of mental health policies, plans and laws, as well as improvement in capacity to report on a set of core metal health indicators.

Earlier, the Medical Director of FNPHY, Dr Owoeye Olugbenga, said the essence of the world mental health day was to raise awareness around mental health related issues and the need for people to maintain good mental health status.

Olugbenga said there was need for people to engage in social activities that would help to boost and maintain good mental health state despite the numerous socio-economic challenges faced in the country.

He said people should create time for relaxation, socialisation and as well as be having adequate rest and sleep.

According to him, adequate rest and sleep helps in maintaining good mental health state, saying that people with mental health conditions should seek medical intervention by engaging the services of a psychiatric doctor.