A Consultant Psychiatrist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr Adegbite Temilade, has appealed to the Federal Government to enhance mental health service care in the country towards fostering an enabling environment for the good mental health and general wellness of Nigerians.
Adegbite, who gave the advice during the third posthumous birthday of the founder of Gabriel Olabode Ayo Foundation, with the theme, “Understanding mental health disorders in children and adolescents,” said that the burden of mental disorders globally continues to be enormous, adding that depression and suicide that emanated from the disorder must be urgently addressed.
According to her, “depression is the number one cause of illness and disability in young people aged 10-19 years old and suicide ranks number three among causes of death.”
She , however, condemned the use of alcohol as a self-medication for depression, describing it as a pattern of individuals with poor coping skills and high addictive potential.
Adegbite, who stressed that the rising trend in suicide rates should worry parents and stakeholders, said that effective collaboration among religious groups, the media and others would go a long way towards mitigating the trend.
She, therefore, urged the government to create a national strategy stating a clear commitment to suicide prevention, adding that only 28 countries currently have such a strategy.
“There should also be regulation on access to means of committing suicide, such as pesticides, firearms.”
The expert, who spoke on the danger of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children, lamented that the disorder is being overlooked, while its impact persists beyond adolescence into adulthood.
In his remarks, a representative of the Secretary of the Foundation, Adeniyi Thompson, said the foundation is committed to assisting children in reaching the potential that the late founder stood for.
He said that the foundation was birthed by friends and family members to project his vision of bequeathing to future generations the opportunity to bear fruit and reach their full potential.
“Bode believed in the power of kindness and generosity, especially when it concerns the youths. He truly loved children and cherished them for the potential and promise each one represented. He believed in giving back and helping to cultivate that potential in any way he could through donations of money, time and genuine care. In his eyes, each child was a seed that simply needed the right nurturing to succeed in life,” he said.
