Factors Spiking Nigeria’s Mental Health Challenges Identified

Nigeria’s mental health challenges may be more significant than is widely acknowledged, Country Director, Secure-D-Future International Initiative, Chinaemerem Iwuanyanwu, has said.

Iwuanyanwu who made this submission at the initiative’s 4th Annual Counselors Summit within the week, during which it unveiled its Mental Health Guideline framework, also identified factors associated with it.

According to her, Nigeria’s Mental Health Challenges are characterised by the following:

1. limited access to services
2. a lack of social awareness and
3. an inadequacy of mental health professionals

Referencing research, the Country Director, said that of the approximately 25-30% of Nigerians experience mental illness, less than 10% actually have access to professional care.

She said concern about this inadequacy had informed the Initiative’s intervention – the two day event that ran under the theme: “Bridging The Gap: Integrating Counseling Into Mental Health Policies; Opportunities & Challenges.”

Iwuanyanwu described the programme, the 4^th counselling summit as a gathering of policy makers with school counselors, private practitioners with private workers with the aim of discussing issues on the practice and the services that the association offers.

On the publishing of a book as part of activities, she added:

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“The idea behind it is for every social worker and counselor including policy makers to have that required understanding on; what do I need to do, as a counsellor.”

Commenting on findings and interactions of the SDF in schools revealing that some people do not pay adequate attention to issues relating to mental health but focus more on career counselling, she added:

“There is no way that you can separate mental health from career counselling.

“There is no child with mental health issue that can do well academically. This is a fact.”

The Association, in partnership with the Secondary Education Board (SEB), she informed further, had been trying to develop capacity building programmes to help advance understanding that counseling is good but that attention must also be paid to the mental health challenges of children.

“With this guide we have developed, as a school guidance counselor, they are now well equipped as to what is expected of them,” she stated.