Nigeria Content Online

There is a
noticeably high increase in mental health cases across the country, and
this is linked to too much anxiety and depression resulting from the
harsh economic environment, Adegboyega Ogunlesi, the Provost and Chief
Medical Director (CMD) of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital,
Abeokuta, said yesterday at a press conference in Abeokuta.

Dr Ogunlesi, who
also canvassed for the establishment of more mental health centres
across the country, said the establishment of such centres would help
reduce the high rate of mental illness.

“The truth of the
matter is that mental illness is on the increase,” he said. “The level
of awareness is, however, low. The gospel we are preaching today is
that all stakeholders have something to contribute. Even the MDGs are
connected to mental health.” The Medical Director reiterated his calls
for the provision of mental healthcare services at every health centre
in the country so that mental and physical health care can be received
at the same point.

“It is in unfair to
concentrate mental health services in the urban centres alone,” he
said. “At every General Hospital, there must be a mental health unit.”

Neglecting the poor

He said the current
tendency of creating a sharp divide between physical and mental health
is no longer tenable because there is absolutely no health without
mental health.

“There is,
therefore, an urgent need more than ever before, to develop health care
delivery systems which efficiently integrate physical and mental health
services,” he said.

Mr Ogunlesi also
said that about 30 per cent of psychiatric patients were not being
given proper medical treatment, adding that those involved preferred
patronising herbalists or spiritualists.

He said, in line
with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation, federal and
state governments should evolve a system whereby primary health care
providers can address physical and mental health problems.

“It beckons on government health planning authorities at national,
state and local government levels to pay close attention to the
importance of this issue in setting up services,” he said, announcing
that the hospital had commenced a programme of integration of mental
health service into the primary care at the local government level in
the state.