Ehanire: Mental Health Treatment Gap Is Still Wide

According to Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health, although most mental health conditions can be effectively treated at a relatively low cost, the treatment gap between people needing care and those who have access to mental health care remains substantially wide.

The minister, who stated this yesterday at a ministerial press briefing on updates on COVID-19 and other diseases, in Abuja, said there is, therefore, the need to increase investment on all fronts for mental health awareness to increase understanding and reduce the stigmatisation of mental illnesses.

He said the increased investment will help increase access to quality mental health care, and effective treatments, adding that it will also help in the area of research to identify new treatments and improve existing treatments for all mental health disorders.

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Ehanire said the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated mental health problems due to disease experience, physical distancing, stigma and discrimination, and job losses in many of the settings worst hit by the pandemic.

“It has led to an increased prevalence of anxiety and depression by 25 percent and the impact is expected to linger beyond the pandemic. The pandemic also impeded access to mental health services and has raised concerns about an increase in suicidal behavior,” he said.

However, he stated that the Federal Ministry of Health established the National Mental Health Programme to coordinate a national response and facilitate the development of relevant mental health policies, programmes, and interventions in Nigeria.