The Society for Adolescent and Young Person Health in Nigeria (SAYPHIN), has restated its commitment to promoting optimal well-being and mental health development of adolescents and young people in the country.
SAYPHIN reiterated the need to address the critical gaps in adolescent health, adding that, it is a strategic national platform for advancing the health and development of adolescents and young people in Nigeria and the foremost advocate for positive youth development, quality healthcare, and the realisation of individual potential of every young person in Nigeria.
SAYPHIN added that “recognising health as a comprehensive concept that extends beyond the mere absence of disease, SAYPHIN advocates for holistic well-being, spanning physical, mental, and social dimensions. Adolescents and young people’s health and development have far-reaching implications, impacting not only individuals but also families, communities, and societies at large.”
This was just as the associate professor of psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Dr. Jibril Abdulmalik, stated that eight out of every 10 Nigerians with a mental health problem are not getting any treatment, adding that, World Health Organisation(WHO) 2006 survey revealed that, 80 per cent 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, and 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, who disclosed this while speaking on the sidelines of the 3rd SAYPHIN Conference on Adolescent and Young Person’s Health in Nigeria, 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 have 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.
He further explained that the major problem in the society is that of ignorance, shame and stigma, stating that, so many people who are depressed don’t want anybody to hear so that their family will not be labelled as a family with someone suffering from dementia.
He listed eight specialist neuro psychiatric hospitals in Nigeria, and two new ones, one in Kano and the other in Ilorin. “Then some teaching hospitals and federal medical centres, some of them not all of them, have departments of mental health or psychiatric and not all of them do. So, we have less than 300 psychiatrists for a population of 200 million, so that roughly translates to just about one psychiatrist to per 1 million population. So that is another reason why people are not getting the care they need,” he said.
He lamented that Nigeria has less than 300 psychiatrist in the country while affirming that a country with over 200 million human population does not have mental health facility and trained expert to cater for mentally challenged individuals in the country.
He averred that the situation is dire and mostly unfortunate to address the worrisome levels of human suffering from demential, psychotic disorders, bipolar and schizophrenia amongst others related mental health issues.
Earlier in his remarks, President of Eko 2023 Society for Adolescent, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, said, they are 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.
Also speaking at the event, the chair for the youth engagement committee, Mr Oladimeji Ibrahim said, “The conference is one of the largest conference bringing together different innovators particularly young people in Nigeria and around the world to participate in achieving a sustainable development while driving the agenda as well as contributing towards making our community sustainable for all. To plan for the future, we must drive innovation that allows young people to get involved and achieve demographic dividends.”
