Society for Adolescent and Young Person Health In Nigeria (SAYPHIN) has stressed the need to create more awareness about mental health, saying its members are committed to promoting optimal well-being and mental health development of adolescents and young people in the country.
An associate professor of psychiatry, College of Medicine University of Ibadan, Dr. Jibril Abdulmalik, who also spoke at the 3rd SAYPHIN Conference on “Adolescent and Young Person’s Health in Nigeria”, stated that eight of every 10 Nigerians with a mental health problem are not getting any treatment.
He said a World Health Organisation (WHO) 2006 survey revealed that 80 percent of Nigerians suffering from mental health are not getting the treatment they need.
He also stated that only two out of 10 are getting any treatment, adding that people suffering from mental health don’t believe it is something to go to hospital as a result they suffer from ignorance, shame, labelling and stigma.
Abdulmalik noted that mental health problems in Nigeria have been on the increase over time, adding that in children and young people, there is increasing rates of drug abuse, suicide and suicidal behaviour and dementia associated with the elderly.
He remarked that there had been reports on social media of young people in universities, and even secondary school, who fail WAEC and start drinking insecticide and try to take their own life, adding that these problems are also common in our environment.
In his remarks, President of Eko 2023 Society for Adolescent, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, said it is not just an association that advances the health and development of young people in Nigeria, rather they are the strongest voice for young people in Africa, which is the agenda of the society to advance the health and wellbeing of young people in Nigeria and around the world.
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