The Nigerian American Institute for Mental Health (NAIMH) has said that only 250 psychiatrists cater to 10 to 20 per cent of the population that have a mental illness.
NAIMH President, Dr Azubuike Aliche, who spoke with The Guardian in Umuahia, Abia state capital, attributed the rise in mental illness to poor government attention, the prevailing harsh economy in the country, and societal poor attitude toward the sufferers.
“The infrastructure for mental healthcare is lacking, the government is doing little about it, and politicians do not include addressing mental health issues as part of their programmes, if elected.
Aliche, who is a licensed Clinical Social Worker in the United States of America, disclosed that his institute is set to change this narrative and address the terrible condition of mental health patients and the general mental health sector in Nigeria.
Noting that access to mental health care services, including drugs, treatments and counseling is low in Nigeria, he assured that his institute would partner with the Nigerian Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Enugu and other relevant bodies to effect sound mental health care delivery in the country.
He expressed worry that people exhibiting different forms of mental challenges are most times, stigmatised and or maltreated in parts of the country, noting that such bad treatments rather worsen the situation than address the problem.
According to him, NAIMH would involve people trained in community healthcare services to identify persons with mental issues before referring them to psychiatrists. Aliche, however, remarked that most Nigerians are afraid and even ashamed to voluntarily go for mental diagnoses because of the stigma the Nigerian society attaches to it.
Consequently, he urged governments at all levels to fund mental healthcare, regretting that adequate infrastructure is not available, adding that most health interventions are concentrated on physical health.
