As Nigerian joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Mental Health Day yesterday, the executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Tony Ojukwu, has urged the government to give effect to the National Mental Health Act (2023) in order to enhance realisation of mental health rights in the country.
Ojukwu, who spoke at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja in commemoration of the event with the theme: “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right”, also called for humane treatment of persons with mental health conditions, psycho-social or cognitive disabilities.
Represented by the commission’s deputy director, investigation (monitoring), Iheme Richmond, the NHRC boss said the Mental Health Act reaffirms mental health as a human right. “This is symbolic having been eloquently re-echoed in the theme for 2023 World Mental Health Day.
In his remarks, the public health emergencies advisor, World Health Organisation (WHO), Alexander Chimbaru, said mental health is a basic human right for all as everyone, everywhere has the right to the highest attainable standard of mental health.
He said everyone should have the right to live a life with dignity, equity, equality, and respect, and this includes people with mental health conditions.
However, he noted that due to several individual, environmental, socio-economic and demographic changes, the prevalence of mental health has been on the increase worldwide with depression and anxiety being the most common conditions.
