Mental health literacy vital to overcoming health ignorance, stopping stigma

 

 

A don, Professor Remi Raji at the Department of English and African Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Ibadan, said examples suggestive of mental health problems are rife in the society and called for mental health literacy propagation.

Raji, who spoke at the Jemila Abubakar Memorial Essay (JAME) 2025 award ceremony and Stakeholders Mental Health Summit by Asido Foundation, said this is important to overcome the challenges of mental health ignorance and to stop the stigmatisation, stereotypes, and prejudices against people having mental health challenges.

On the occasion, Michael Paul, Chinenye Iheanacho, and 13 other top winners of the JAME 2025 were presented with cash prizes and awards, while Professor Abiodun Ilesanmi, Professor Mojisola Atalabi, and Dr. Segun Awosanya, among others, were invested as special ambassadors of the Asido Foundation.

He stated that mental health literacy should be propagated through Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials presented in local dialects and the communication of mental health information in local languages to create mental health awareness in the community.

According to Prof. Raji, part of the message to propagate is that mental health is common and treatable, and a mental health issue is a medical condition and not a spiritual curse or a punishment that is cured by going to the mountaintop.

“Through combined efforts, including education, awareness campaigns, policy change, policy enforcement, and community engagement, the stigma associated with mental health challenges can be reduced. It can be obliterated when we encourage more individuals to seek help. And this will lead to better mental health outcomes for the population,” he added.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Asido Foundation, Dr Jibril Abdulmalik, said the meeting was to celebrate mental health awareness among young people in memory of Ms. Jemila Abubakar and the stakeholder’s mental health summit to ensure that all stakeholders, including everybody in society, promote mental health awareness.

“The stakeholders’ summit is for everybody to understand that we have a big problem on our hands, and everybody has a role to play in solving that problem. So, the way out is to promote mental health awareness so that we can identify the problem and nip it in the bud early.”

“So, early identification, creating awareness in society—these are the ways of ensuring that we don’t continue to lose precious human lives that are irreplaceable through suicide. Suicide prevention is a major assignment for mental health promotion.”

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