It stated that there is an urgent need to raise awareness on mental health and wellbeing, and drive actions that promote and protect the mental health of Nigerians as a universal human right.
It further disclosed that evidence has shown that depression increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, among others.
Also, the presence of disease conditions such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Neglected Tropical Diseases and other infectious diseases such as COVID-19 can increase the risk for mental health conditions.
Lafiya360 reports that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate made this known during the commemoration of this year’s World Mental Health Day with the theme: “Mental health is a universal human right.”
He said, “Mental health is an integral part of health; indeed, there is no health without mental health. Good mental health is crucial at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood and old age.
“Our mental health determines how we handle stress and relate to others and our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships, and shape the world we live in. It is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development. Mental and physical health are important and interrelated components of overall wellbeing.
“The promotion of good mental health and wellbeing is everybody’s business, therefore, the need to improve the mental health of all people in Nigeria is increasingly becoming a priority. We must show commitment that will improve people’s mental health using all available platforms in our society.
“Regardless of who you are or where you are, everyone has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risk, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence, and inclusion in the community.
“Having a mental health condition should not be the reason to deprive a person of their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health. Yet people with mental health conditions continue to experience a wide range of human rights violations globally.
“Many are excluded from community life and discriminated against, while many more cannot access the mental health care they need or can only access care that violates their human rights.
“The WHO 2022 global status report on mental health indicates that the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase of depression and anxiety by more than 25 per cent in the first year, adding to nearly one billion people living with mental health conditions globally.
“People living with mental health conditions are among the most underserved with treatment gaps ranging between 55 per cent and 90 per cent in high and low-income countries respectively.
“Mental health conditions are responsible for more of the global burden of disease than HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, diabetes or transport injuries. They account for about 15 per cent of the global disease burden, three quarters of which is found in low- and middle-income countries.”
Prof. Pate added, “As part of efforts to address mental health issues in the country, the Minister stressed that the Federal Ministry of Health is deeply committed in developing legislations, policies, guidelines and interventions aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of all people in Nigeria.
“This is demonstrable by the progress the Ministry has made in the last one year in this regard. The Ministry in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders facilitated the passage and eventual presidential assent to the National Mental Health Act 2021. This has made Nigeria the country with the most recent mental health law in the whole of Africa and has been a learning point for other Member states in the region.
“The existence of the National Mental Health Act 2021 marks a paradigm shift for the promotion of good mental health and wellbeing, and protection of the rights of those living with mental health conditions.
“Mental health as a universal human right, is one of the core objectives of the National Mental Health Act 2021. The objective 2 of the Act focused on the promotion and protection of the fundamental human right and freedom of those affected with mental health conditions and ensure that their rights while the objective 3 focused on ensuring a better quality of life through access to an integrated well planned, effective and efficiently delivered mental health services in Nigeria.
“The Ministry is currently in the process of the development of an Implementation Road Map for the newly enacted National Mental Health Act. This document will be finalized and validated before the end of the year. When completed, it would be the guiding document for the phased implementation of the provisions of the Act thus setting the pace for the transformation of the delivery of mental health services in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, the Ministry of Health through the National Mental Health Programme, in collaboration with the relevant partners and stakeholders, has finalized and validated the National Mental Health Policy and National Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework, taking into consideration the emerging mental health issues such the increasing spate of suicide, substance abuse and suicide among our youths, mental health of young people as well as integration of mental health into Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) and humanitarian settings.
“When the implementation of these strategic documents begins, no doubt, it would be a renewed hope for the mental health of all Nigerians.”