During a one-day seminar held in Mbukwa-Itumbauzo community, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, Professor Monday Igwe, the Managing Director of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Enugu, stated that approximately one in every 24 adults suffers from severe mental disorder.
The seminar, organized by Amaudo Integrated Community Mental Health Foundation in partnership with Abia State Government, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, and Amaudo United Kingdom, aimed to educate media practitioners on basic mental health issues and their role in creating awareness for efficient and human-rights-based mental health care in Nigeria.
Experts in mental health and media practitioners attending the seminar collectively acknowledged that the harsh economic policies prevailing in Nigeria could potentially trigger mental health disorders.
Professor Igwe, represented by Dr. Okwudili Obayi, also revealed that one in every four individuals experiences mental disorders at some point in their lives. He stressed the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to reduce the prevalence of mental disorders in the population and expressed concern about the abuse faced by individuals with mental challenges due to misconceptions surrounding mental illness.
Furthermore, Professor Igwe urged media practitioners to play a more active role in educating the public about mental health to dispel incorrect perceptions about mentally ill individuals. He advised them to avoid using stigmatizing language in their reporting and instead opt for more respectful and informative descriptions.
Rev. Father Kenneth Nwaubani, the Director of Amaudo Integrated Community Mental Health Foundation, emphasized the need for greater cooperation between the foundation and media practitioners to enhance mental health awareness in the country. He called for the correction of stigmatization towards mental health patients and outlined various challenges faced by the foundation, including limited mental health knowledge, insufficient funding, political instability, poor infrastructure, and social and environmental issues.
The participants of the seminar commended Amaudo Integrated Mental Health Foundation for their significant humanitarian services and appealed to the government to address key challenges, such as lack of infrastructure and manpower in the mental health sector. They urged increased budgetary provisions to tackle mental health issues and provide incentives for medical practitioners and journalists in the field.
Additionally, they called for attention to mental health issues at the primary healthcare level, the strengthening of relevant government agencies regulating drug use, and the implementation of the new mental health act signed into law by the previous administration.
Overall, the participants emphasized the importance of regular seminars and training for media practitioners to equip them with proper knowledge of mental health issues, eliminating bias in their reportage and promoting public awareness. They also encouraged media organizations to dedicate sufficient time to publicize mental health issues, contributing to the sensitization of the general public.
Lastly, they urged experts in mental health to engage with the media openly to educate the public while calling on families of mental health patients to support and avoid stigmatizing their loved ones.
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