A MENTAL health advocate, Dr Veronica Nyamalihas, has advised Nigerians on the need for mental health assessment evaluation regularly or at least twice a year.
Nyamali, also a consultant psychiatrist, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
The psychiatrist emphasised the need for people to be mindful of their mental health; listen to their bodies and minds, and seek help whenever they feel overwhelmed or notice changes in their mental well-being.
“People should consider going for mental health evaluation/assessment regularly; just like they do for physical check-ups.
“Every human irrespective of class faces one societal ill or the other, stress and other current economic challenges that can affect the way they reason or interact.
“Such challenges are predisposing factors to mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and can even lead to suicide, if not properly checked.
“For a start, individuals can aim for at least twice a year, but in cases where one is experiencing significant stress, life changes or symptoms of mental health issues, it is important to seek evaluation sooner.
“Additionally, if there is already a history of mental health concerns or a family history of mental illness, more frequent evaluations would be beneficial,” she said.
The Psychiatrist said that 90 per cent of Nigerians with mental health disorders do not visit their healthcare providers for medical attention and care.
She said that at least, one in every five people would at one point in their lifetime experience one type of mental illness or the other.
According to her, most of the mental illnesses that people have are not psychotic such as hallucinations, and schizophrenia, they are anxiety, stress and depression.
She said, “90 per cent of people, who have mental disorders in our country, whether major or minor, do not get to see any psychiatric healthcare provider at all for relief of their symptoms.
“So, they are not diagnosed or treated; which is a shame, because they have a detrimental effect, not just on the individuals, but also on the society.
“Most people who have mental health conditions carry them about; it is like they are working wounded. So, they go to work and live their lives with it.
“They might not be disturbing other people, but they are under-performing at their tasks or they are making wrong decisions as a result of their mental health condition.
“Untreated mental illness, whether major or minor, carries a cost both for the individual and the society.”
She, therefore, urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of caring for their mental health by going for mental health assessment and treatment.
Nyamalihas also identified stigmatisation and cultural belief as major causative factors of poor access to mental health services among the Nigerian population.
She said that most people do not seek psychiatric services or visit psychiatric hospitals because of cultural belief and the fear of being stigmatised.
Nyamali decried the poor attitude of the public toward their mental health, noting that the majority of Nigerians perceived mental health assessment/evaluation as only meant for the mad people or mentally challenged persons.
“Unfortunately, in Nigeria, once an individual is seen seeking psychiatric services or going for psychiatric clinic, people would start to stigmatise such individuals with the notion that he/she is having mental illness.
“And that is why most people find it difficult to go to psychiatric clinics, seek psychiatric services or have anything to do with a psychiatric doctor,” she said.
Nyamali, who frowned at such discriminatory behaviour, said that such an attitude would have detrimental effects on both the individual and the society. (NAN)
