Mental Health Month; Where are we Heading?


October is an exciting month for mental health advocates and practitioners to campaign on mental issues. The Mental Health Month theme for this year’s is Learn and Grow.

BabySteps Psychology Magazine is encouraging EVERY ONE to learn more about mental health and use that knowledge to grow personally and take control of their mental well being.


On the other hand, every October 10th is World Mental Day. This year's theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is psychological first aid and the support people can provide to those in distress.

Global economic and security crisis has resulted in not just physical/social/economic displacement but long lasting psychological problems. In Nigeria, insurgency and economic recession is have psychological implications resulting in increasing cases of stress, anxiety, depression, substance and alcohol abuse, schizophrenia e.t.c.

Read Also ; 6 Factors Contributributing to Mental Disorders

In 2005, the World Health Organisation(WHO) endorsed mental health as a universal human right and a fundamental and a fundamental goal for health care systems of all countries.

Mental health is in SILENT CRISIS in Nigeria due to the following factors I have observed. They include:

1. Lack of prioritization of mental health and issues of policy/ implementation
2. Gross underfunding
3. Chronic shortage of trained mental health personnel
4. Poor diagnosis and treatment
5. Stigmatization and Discrimination
6. Decentralization of mental health
7. Poor information on mental health problems/services

It is paramount for the Nigeria government to TAKE ACTION and declare a state of emergency in the mental health sector due to the current deepening crisis in the country. This is not the time to pay lip service to health matters much less mental health.

Despite its name, psychological first aid covers both psychological and social support. Just like general health care never consists of physical first aid alone, similarly no mental health care system should consist of psychological first aid alone.

I will be addressing these 7 issues contributing to neglect of mental health/illness and proffer strategies for health care policy makers to improve the status quo.

BeMentallyAware
StoptheStigmaNow




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 Reasons Why Incest Is Unreported; Father and Brothers Raped Twin Sisters For A Decade

Image
Action Plan #raisethealarm #STOPtheABUSEnoW Hundreds of perverts abuse children here every year and  most of such criminals are men trusted in the home. Many perpetrators of this horrible act of  incest escape punishment from the law because incest in regarded as a taboo in many cultures,therefore, family sexual abuse is shrouded in secrecy and social stigma. Hidden from relatives, communities, schools, and neighbors, incest is under-reported,under-recognized, and often goes unpunished, leaving child victims to suffer in silence and adult survivors to manifest myriad psychosocial problems (Daie, Witztum, & Eleff, 1989). I found the psychological torture the Hendersons’ twins had to go through most shocking.Their painful ordeal was brought to the world by The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011. Until now this story was shrouded in all the secrecy that society can devise. Revulsion keeps people from discussing it; child abuse victims in court papers are sometimes listed with in...
Read more

Your Physical Wellbeing-The Window to Good Health

Image
3min read; “Some of the most obvious and serious signs that we are unhealthy appear physically. Addressing this dimension is crucial for anyone attempting to sustain overall health and wellness”- (John Koshuta).  In order to optimize our overall health, it is important to address our physical health because we now know that our emotional and social environment is interwoven with our physical health.  For Example: Poorer Mental/Emotional Health Can Increase Your Risk Of Developing Health Problems Through The Following: Suppression of immune function   Poor health behaviours (e.g., smoking, drinking alcohol excessively, sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary choices)  Not following medical recommendations. For instance, depressed patients are three times more likely not to follow medical treatment recommendations compared with non-depressed patients   If your water is clean and safe, the air you breathe is pure, your workplace is healthy, your house is co...
Read more

9MindWorks,helping you reach your full potentails

Image
Hi Dear,  Thank you for visiting this blog which I renamed  9MindWorks.    Kindly click URL@: 9jamindworks.blogspot.com  for details I am a trained Psychologist with years of experience as a Development Specialist, working with donors on key interventions that improved lives and rights of thousands of poor rural women,  children and adolescents and  key population like female sex workers. I am also a mental health writer, coach and advocate.   9MindWorks    is a mental health magazine with simplified information to enable you reach your full potentials, regardless of your circumstances, culture,  race or color. Trending worldwide issues with its mental health impacts are also major highlights of  9MindWorks .  Mental health advocacy,  demystification and destigmatization have been my passions since my undergraduate days when I launched the first  BabySteps Psycholology Magazine , later calling it...
Read more