The Managing Director of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Professor Monday Igwe, has declared that one out of every four persons in Nigeria is living with mental illness.
Delivering a lecture titled “Changing the narratives in mental health” which he delivered at Amudo Integrated Community Mental Health Foundation on Friday, Professor Igwe stated that the mental health of an average Nigerian has worsened since the commencement of the current fuel crisis and other economic realities of life where a good number of people find it hard to meet their daily needs.
The lecture was organized by the Amudo rehabilitation centre for media chiefs in Abia State to sensitize them on the challenges of the centre which include lack of access road to Amudo rehabilitation centre, poor funding, lack of neuro drugs etc.
The professor of psychiatry, represented by Dr Okwudili, a senior lecturer/consultant psychiatric in the hospital, named symptoms of mental health to include: mental stress, depression, hearing of strange voices, drug abuse, internet addiction and excessive prayer.
He therefore called on Nigerians to check out on the people manifesting these symptoms and report them for medical help.
He described people living with mental health as nonviolent people as against the notion that they are mostly violent, arguing that it is the public that always exhibit some acts of violence against people living with mental illness.
“Check out a situation where a mental unstable person will be walking down the street without molesting anyone and children and even adults would be cajoling or throwing pebbles at the him. Who is violent?” he asked rhetorically.
The Director, Amudo Integrated Community Mental Health Foundation, Very Rev Kenneth Nwaubani who conducted the media executives round the rehabilitation home, said the centre currently harbors 64 mentally challenged persons, saying their living standard in the centre is better than some of those mock them when they are discharged.
He assured that Amudo will soon engage the services of resident doctors to forestall the problem it faced by lack of resident doctors.
While describing the centre whose environment is very serene and angelic, as a relaxation centre, Very Rev Nwaubani of the Methodist Church of Nigeria disclosed that the management of Amudo Centre spends over N5million monthly to run it.
According to him, about N200milion is needed to run the place yearly, even as he used the opportunity to call on it donor partners in United Kingdom known as Amudo UK, Abia State government as well as stakeholders no to relent to sponsoring the centre.
The director also called on relations of mentally challenged persons who have been treated and have been discharged not to reject them or treat them as outcasts, pointing out the greatest challenge the discharged persons have is presently stigmatization.
“Because of our activities, there is gradual decrease of the way the public see and perceive those living with this sickness. Their acceptability in the society is going high. There are human beings after all and should be treated as such”, he opined.
He paid special tribute to the founder of the centre, Miss Roseline Colwill of Scotland; United Kingdom who in 1989 singled handedly started the home after she resigned as a Welfare Officer at the Uzuakoli Leprosy Centre, Bende. He pointed out that Amudo UK, Abia State government and some stakeholders have continued to give support to the centre.
In his comment, the Chairman of the Board of Amudo Integrated Community Mental Health Foundation, Sir Emma Ndukwe revealed the centre hosts over 5,000 students nurses on psychiatry yearly and called on the state government to immediately rehabilitate the Bende-Itumbuzo road in order to provide access road to the centre.
