A psychiatric consultant, Dr Ferdinand Ogbeh has linked the high rate of mental disorder among young people to the high level of poverty and unemployment in the country.
Dr Ogbeh, a consultant in the neuro-psychiatric hospital, Rumuigbo disclosed this in an interview with our reporter Tina Amanda.
According to him, most psychiatric cases start from a young age when it is usually not properly managed.
Dr Ogbeh called on the government to make provisions for young people to be meaningfully engaged.
“There are so many people homeless who live on the streets and does not have mental illnesses.
“There is poverty in the land right now, so if someone has a mental disorder and the family does not have the economic and financial strength to take care of such person certainly that person will stray to the street.
“The government needs to provide employment to engage these young ones, as the saying goes, an idle man is a devil’s workshop.
“Work is actually one of those factors that boosts a person‘s well being and confidence. When these things are in place the society will have reduced prevalence cases of mental health disorders.‘’
The mental Expert urged youths to stop the use of psychotic substances and adopt a healthy lifestyle, stressing that the abuse of drugs such as tramadol leads to mental disorders.
“It is important to know that there is a high increase in the use of psychotic substances. The prominent being nicotine, tramadol, marijuana and alcohol.
“These are substances when persons who are vulnerable takes, they could actually develop mental illnesses if they consumed inappropriately”
He further said that people with mental disorders should be taken to psychiatric hospitals for early assessment and treatment.
