Experts call for more awareness of mental illness

Experts have called for more awareness on mental illness in Nigeria based on the perceived increase in suicide incidents since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and have urged government at all levels to ensure schools have at least one psychologist on their staff list.

The experts while speaking at the inaugural virtual meeting of a non-governmental organization, Suicide Is No Solution (SINS) with the theme: Talking Suicide 1.0: Causes, Signs and Prevention, emphasized that the ideal system would be to have the duo of a counsellor and mental health practitioner in schools, adding that religious bodies should also create a mental health unit manned by mental health experts at their religious centres in order to reduce the rate of suicide in the country.

They called for the review of the law punishing individuals who attempt suicide stressing that such individuals needed care and support instead of prosecution.  The experts posited that there should be adequate training for counsellors in schools and religious organisations to manage the youth especially those with depression signs that could lead to suicide.

The SINS Project Lead, Mrs Idy Toye-Arulogun, said the meeting was to increase the awareness level and better understanding of suicide amongst Nigerians with a view to reducing and eliminating to the barest minimum, the incidence in the country, saying that the meeting has helped to educate SINS volunteers and people on the causes, signs, and prevention of suicide.

The experts who spoke at the programme includes the Head of Department, Clinical Psychology Department, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Dr Tayo Ajirotutu, a United States-based Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist, Dr Stella Bassey-Okoronkwo and they both emphasised that there should be more proactive steps to curb the rise in suicide cases.

Dr Ajirotutu, stated that death by suicide has been on for decades and generations but has become a serious issue in Nigeria in the past four years skyrocketing during the current COVID 19 pandemic. The psychiatrist called for more education and enlightenment on suicide amongst Nigerian citizens and commended the Suicide Is No Solution (SINS) initiative.

He noted that individuals with suicidal tendencies and signs must be referred to experts, urging religious organisations and schools to train counsellors on required skills to counsel people with depression.

“Suicide begins with thoughts and behaviours and it is the second leading cause of death especially among the youths. The signs include someone either talking about killing himself, feeling of hopelessness, loneliness and rejection or having no reason to live and low self-esteem. Financial factors, traumatic reasons, prolonged stress, relationship and education issues, inability to meet targets, issues at work, home or religious organisations are other causes of suicide,” he said

Dr. Ajirotutu further warned that the issue of suicide cannot be confidential as family members and mental health experts must be involved, saying “If you want to kill yourself, identify why you want to, and look for another way out rather than taking your own life.” he said.

In her own submission, Dr Stella Bassey-Okoronkwo stressed that mental health awareness is one thing that Nigeria must go all out to make more people know that mental illness exists and people with such illness must be given the right counseling and recommendation.

According to her, “people struggling with depression, drug abuse, alcohol use disorders and anxiety have a higher incidence of contemplating suicide in the USA. We lose over 800,000 people yearly globally to suicide and we lose a lot more during late spring and early summers in the USA.”

Dr Bassey-Okoronkwo, who is the Medical Director, The Centre for Emotional Health, Christiansburg, Virginia, listed the warning signs to look out for in persons attempting suicide to include their inability to express their feelings, their behaviours, being more destructive and disrespectful, drinking excessively, being a lot more aggressive and agitated, withdrawal from families and friends, being more impulsive and reckless, low energy and loss of interest in things, receiving and giving away items and advised that when any of the warning signs are noticed, such a person must be referred for counseling.

A lawyer and Chief Executive Officer, The Vale College, Ibadan, Mrs Funso Adegbola, advocated that the section of the law that stipulates prosecution for attempted suicide should be repealed, calling on psychiatrists association, health professionals, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and interest groups to join hands to ensure that the law is repealed.

She stated that individuals who attempted suicide should go for mental rehabilitation and not prison, stressing that shortage of psychiatrists in Nigeria should be addressed as their services are needed and mental health professionals should be less stigmatized.

While sharing her experience, Mrs, Ajoke Okonu, who contemplated suicide at the age of 16, said she fought the thoughts since she was 4 years old but didn’t commit the crime for the love of her mother, saying, “I wanted to take my life as a result of my parent’s broken marriage. I was physically abused, molested and when I could no longer hold it, I held the knife in the kitchen several times but my mother’s love held me back.”

In her own submission, the Co-Founder, LePhare Consultants, Mrs Ibiyemi Faturoti, urged anyone contemplating suicide to know that there is someone out there that cares and who is ready to help, noting that suicide should not be considered as an option during life’s struggles.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Buy and read digital replicas of your TRIBUNE titles by subscribing through E-VENDING

Buhari Expresses Shock Over Boko Haram’s Attack On Gubio
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed deep shock at Boko Haram’s attack on Gubio village, Borno State in which the terrorists killed many people. A statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday night by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) said as news of “one the most brutal terrorist… Read full story

Foreign Herdsmen: No Law Stopping Cross-Border Movements ― FG
Despite the menace posed by foreign herdsmen, the Federal Government has said that there are currently no laws preventing cross-border movements. The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who stated this on Wednesday at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, however… Read full story

Police Arrest Man For Raping 40 Women In Kano
The Police Command in Kano State has arrested a 32-year-old man, Muhammad Alfa, for allegedly raping 40 women in the past one year in the state. The Spokesman of the Command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Wednesday in Kano… Read full story

I Have No Problem With Makinde ― Alaafin
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, on Wednesday, said he held no grudge against Governor Seyi Makinde. There had been insinuations that Oba Adeyemi had ill-feeling towards Makinde following the recent siting of a mobile police force squadron in Ago-Are, Oke-Ogun area of the state… Read full story

Africa’s COVID-19 Cases Over 200,000 ― WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Africa are more than 200,000. The WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, gave the update on its official twitter handle @WHOAFRO… Read full story

UPDATE: FEC To Initiate Tougher Action Against Rapists
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has announced that more decisive action is to be taken against rapists henceforth as the government has expressed worries about the upsurge in the menace. This followed a presentation by the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, to the council meeting presided over… Read full story

Nigeria, India, DR Congo Home To Over 33% Of World’s Poorest, Says World Bank
The World Bank has said that more than a third of the world’s poorest people live in Nigeria, India and Democratic Republic of Congo, even as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes about 100 million people into extreme poverty. Those who live on less than $1.90 per day are categorised as being in extreme poverty… Read full story

COVID-19: Kogi Directs Workers On Levels 01-10 To Resume
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has directed civil servants on Salary Grade Levels 01-10 to return to work on June 15. The directive was contained in a statement issued in Lokoja on Wednesday by the state Head of Service, Mrs Deborah Ogunmola… Read full story

Another Death In Aso Rock As Aisha Buhari Loses Protocol Officer
Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha Buhari, on Wednesday, announced that she lost a protocol officer, Sani Yekini, after battling with diabetes. Aisha, who made the announcement in a tweet on her official Twitter handle, described Yekini who has been working with her for four years as “a very committed… Read full story

COVID-19: Senator Ndume Advocates Part-Time Status For Lawmakers, Reduction In Salary
Senator representing Borno south and Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, has advocated part-time status for lawmakers in the country due to the dwindling effect of COVID-19. In a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday, the lawmaker who sought for the office of Senate President last… Read full story

N2.2bn Land Scam: Deposed Emir Sanusi Appeals Judgment
The deposed Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II, on Wednesday, appealed a judgment delivered by a Federal High Court dismissing his right of fair hearing against the Kano state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission. Counsels to the emir, Messrs Dikko and Mahmoud, filed the appeal on Wednesday… Read full story

Orange Juice Excellent For Tooth Disorders, Heart Diseases —Experts
THE orange contains a variety of health-promoting properties. The fruit is a rich source of protective food ingredients like vitamin A, B, C and calcium. Recent studies have proven its superiority to any other fruit as a source of calcium. The orange also contains sodium, potassium, magnesium, copper, sulphur and chlorine… Read full story

EDITORIAL: The Story Of Majek Fashek
BY the time he died on June 1, aged 57, Majekodunmi Faseke, or simply Majek Fashek to his distraught fans all over the world, had lived his life to full circle. Of course, he was not an old man, but he had arguably seen it all. From the low, deprived, humble beginnings of childhood and the boisterous struggling years of adolescence to the peak of prominence and global fame, then back to the ebb of existence, Majek Fashek had seen it all. Not many older persons could claim to have fumbled and tumbled through life than the man fondly referred to as the Rainmaker… Read full story