Experts Stress Need To Increase Awareness, End Mental Illness Stigma
On World Mental Health Day on Monday, October 10, experts stressed the importance of promoting mental health awareness around the world, mobilising efforts to support those suffering from mental health issues, and eradicating the stigma associated with mental illness.
Dr. Fisayo Adeaookun, a Consultant Psychiatrist at the University at the University of Port Harcourt noted that “a major challenge accessing mental healthcare is stigmatization”.
He stressed that mental health and physical health are complementary and should not in any way be seen as a taboo subject.
In the same vein, Oye Gureje, a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Ibadan said that caregivers, formal and informal, provide the most intensive care, and they are usually taxed physically, emotionally, and financially.
These he said, need to be cared for, to avoid creating more mental health problems.
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Jehovah’s Witnesses have made the issue of mental health a global priority. In addition to their Bible-based global message of hope, their official website, jw.org, is filled with publications on how to cope with mental health and how family members and friends can provide support. The website is translated into some 1,060 languages.
The spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nigeria, Olusegun Eroyemi, notes that there is a lack of awareness about mental health, and people easily attribute the condition to various factors that only worsen the plight of victims. “Mental health can be managed, and caregivers need care,” Eroyemi said. According to him, the website provides materials in a variety of languages on subjects like: “Do You Need Tranquilizers to Cope?”, “How to Deal with Isolation”, “What You Should Know About Mental Disorders”, “Teen Depression—Why?” Additionally, there are videos and real-life stories that are helpful. These materials can be downloaded for free.
Eroyemi says, “as life becomes more difficult to cope with, the effect on mental health becomes more observable.” He explains that Jehovah’s Witnesses will continue to share the Bible’s comforting message that gives hope to everyone. All are invited to visit the website and use the resources available to cope with mental health and provide the needed care for affected persons.
According to the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), this year’s theme for the campaign, which has been spearheaded by the World Health Organisation (WHO) since 2103, is “Make mental health for all a global priority.”
