Experts seek Medical Intervention for Elderly Prison Inmates
Mental health experts at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, have said that four out of every five elderly prison inmates need one mental health intervention or the other, following a research carried out on 199 inmates at Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos State.
The experts gave the advice at the fifth edition of the yearly research conference held at the hospital, yesterday, with the theme: “The practice of Psychiatry in a challenging environment.”
According to them, Nigerian prison facility has been known for some discomforting factors, which include overcrowding, among many others.
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Head of Clinical Services and Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr. Steven Oluwaniyi, said there were different mental health disorders and their challenges but rehabilitation entails returning an individual who has suffered from mental health disorder to his previous functioning state.
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Also, a consultant psychiatrist at the hospital, Dr. Jaiyeola Kajero, said they were not able to treat effectively owing to economic realities and the inability of some patients to afford treatment.
Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Dr. O.A. Owoye, said the yearly research conference is a period when they showcase all the researches done in the year.
Owoye lamented that mental health was on the increase owing to massive emigration of mental health professionals. He also said that people develop mental illness on daily basis owing to the adversities they are currently facing in the country.p
He said the experts are currently trying to develop and see the possibility of tele-psychiatry, that is accessing mental healthcare through smartphones.
