It is almost impossible to know by exact measurement how much pressure a crumbling country is putting on its long-suffering citizens. But by all accounts, it is much, therefore bringing into fierce focus just how much has gone wrong for the country, and what could be done about it. Unavoidably, the focus is always also on just how much bad politics have contributed to causing the pressure to build.
Nigerians are known the world over for their fortitude and remarkable resilience. Over the years, these have contributed to some near impossible feats by Nigerians all over the world under mostly backbreaking conditions.
As Nigerians have gone ahead to thrive in different countries of the world under difficult conditions, many people have been forced to wonder at their grit especially when they have had to put up with the difficult conditions of their home country as well as the considerable energy that goes into weathering culture shocks elsewhere.
This grit in the face of staggering odds has continued to fuel the narrative that Nigerians have somehow managed to miraculously keep their heads on their shoulders in spite of finding themselves in a country that is fast losing its grip.
Annually, on every October 10, the world over celebrates the World Mental Health Day. It is usually a day set aside for the world to reflect on the mental health of its more than seven billion people, deliberate on measures to protect and improve the mental health and wellbeing of people everywhere.
As the realization has grown the world over that mental health is just as important as physical health, it has become crucial to ensure that people stay mentally healthy. The focus on this crucial factor in well-being has increased over the years because experience has shown not only that many people are struggling but that their struggles are always hidden away as mental illness is considered a taboo in some quarters.
Damning statistics
To mark this year`s World Mental Health Day, Psychiatrists have raised the alarm that one in four Nigerians, that is over fifty million Nigerian, is suffering from one mental disorder or the other.
There have been even more damning statistics. Data also shows that Nigeria has only about 300 psychiatrists to treat 200 million people while Africa has one psychiatrist for every 500,000 inhabitants which is 100 times less than the figure recommended by the World Health Organization.
Figures also show that in Africa around 11 people per 100,000 die yearly by suicide which is higher than the global average of nine per 100,000 people.
These shocking figures immediately betray the fact that there is something wrong with the education as well as the environment in terms of managing mental health in Nigeria.
With superstition rife about mental illness in Nigeria, it is often difficult to get the message across that mental illness is just like any other illness which can be treated to ensure that those who suffer therefrom do not have to endure the tremendous personal suffering that comes with it. With mental illness, stigma is a big challenge.
Again, is it that Nigeria is not producing enough psychiatrists yearly or is it simply the case that the environment is simply not conducive for their work?
Whatever be the case, the mental health crisis is a rampaging one and unless serious measures are taken to curb it, it may eventually spiral out of control leaving Nigeria with a very sick population it cannot afford to have.
