A mental disorder is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and behaviour resulting in an inability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines. This means that seemingly simple tasks may be extremely difficult for a person suffering from mental disorders and depending on which disorder exactly, there could be severe changes in behaviour as a result of this difficulty. Have you ever had a friend who just could not relate socially? One whose total being changed as soon as you mentioned talking to another person? Have you ever met a person who felt that they had no choice but to end it all? Do you have a friend who has extreme changes in mood, to the point of being disconcerting? They might be suffering from a mental health disorder. In fact, more than a million and a half of Nigerians suffer from mental health disorders. I know it sounds shocking!
Mental health disorder is not ‘madness’, and it is not a joke or something people get over just like that; it is real and it affects people that we love. There are more than 200 classified forms of mental disorder, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders. The manifestations of these disorders may be physical as well as emotional and psychological. A patient may avoid social interactions or be excessively social, others may cut themselves, eat too much or not at all. The very interesting thing about disorders is that they can hardly be controlled without professional help, and the feelings and emotions that come with them are painful and hard to get over. It is a constant battle between what you know and what your brain tells you. It is a battle that never seems conquerable.
As a little girl, I always felt fear. Not the normal kind of fear we all feel but a sort of magnified one. It is similar to when you are about to fall off a chair and it tips over. Imagine that feeling of dread being lodged in your heart for hours or even days. The school was a constant battle; I thought of every single reason not to go. I would be fine when at home with my family but as soon as I had to talk to someone new, my head would start to spin, my body would shake and I would wish the ground would open and swallow me whole. I dreaded every single moment. I overanalysed responses to the point where I could not seem to keep close friends. In fact, I had the fear of offending my friends to the point where I did offend them. That was an example of anxiety disorder. It is just one of several mental health disorders and my example just one of many.
Mental health disorders do not have a single cause as they may be caused by a mixture of biological, psychological and environmental factors. People who have a history of mental disorders in their family may be more prone to developing one. Psychological factors and environmental factors such as upbringing and social exposure can form the foundations for harmful thought patterns associated with mental disorders. Only a certified mental health professional can provide an accurate diagnosis of the causes of a given disorder, so it is imperative that if you suspect that someone you know may have a mental disorder, let them visit a professional.
The truth however in Nigeria is not just that a lot of us are not aware of the extent and implications of mental health challenges and so we do not take them seriously and we do not tell our children about them, but also that even when we do suspect their presence or occurrence, we turn to the spiritual rather than the professional. Just like a person suffering from typhoid fever has to see a professional and be diagnosed, a person suffering from mental health challenge has to be diagnosed too and attended to by qualified professionals. There are no shortcuts and it is not really about madness, which continues to carry chilling implications for us, or telling all about your private issues. It is getting help and saving lives. For example, according to the World Health Organization 9WHO) estimates, about four per cent of Nigerians suffer from depression, which is a form of mental challenge. So, basically, we have about four per cent of Nigerians likely to go seriously down or die from depression just because they do not get help. And we must remember that depression is one of the leading causes of suicide in the world.
Mental health problems can cause people to be alienated from their peers because of perceived unattractive personality traits or behaviors. They can also cause anger, fear, sadness and feelings of helplessness if the person does not know or understand what is happening. They can cause death. As a society, we need to stand up and contain this. We need to be aware and more observant as mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers and friends. We need to make people feel comfortable enough to talk about what they are going through and we need to take steps to help. Growing up, I wish I had been more confident enough to tell my parents or someone else, to explain to another person instead of living in my own lonely world and assuming it was all my fault. Of course, I know now that it was never my fault, and I am making the effort now to want to help those I do come across, who suffer from mental health challenges, to realise this too.
I want to help others see that mental challenge and its associated disorders are not made up illnesses; they are real and could become a challenge to anyone at any point. This is why we have a responsibility as a society and people to be more sympathetic and aware of the many variations of mental disorder and their presentations in order to be of help to all those coping with such challenges and thus help to keep the society in better mental health overall. I hope all of us would be more alive to this responsibility going forward.
- Wale-Olaitan is of the Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
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