Nigerians Are Tasked On Monitoring Health Status
The Jars Education Group, a mental health care and therapeutic organisation, is urging Nigerians to be more aware of their physical and mental health status before it becomes too late.
Dr. Akindotun Merino, the president and founder of the organisation, gave this message during a community trauma awareness walk that was organised in collaboration with the Concerned Parents and Educators (CPE), Star Children Initiative, Sascare Foundation, Lifeline, Foundation for Injured Light Mission (FILM) and others.
The walk, which was organised for the commemoration of Mental Health Awareness Week, was themed “Trauma care is community care.” According to Dr. Merino, “Most people don’t understand that when things happen to them in life, emotionally and psychologically, it’s just as impactful as when they have a physical injury.”
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Adebimpe Osinuga, the Chief Operating Officer and Head of the Nigerian team for Jars Group International, explained that trauma “is caused by chronic and toxic stress on the body.” She further added that emotional and mental traumas are what is call inner wounds of the heart, soul, mind.
“These are wounds that you cannot see, because they are not physical, but they are in the end, traumatic to the people, who have encountered this kind of chronic and toxic stress.”
Samuel Pender, the Executive Director of FILM, stated that trauma “is an overwhelming reaction that is caused by a horrible situation.”
“In our society today, we have a terrible and horrible situation, like traffic. It has its own trauma that is affecting people. The education sector where ASUU has been on strike has its own way of traumatising students. So, trauma is everywhere. It is real and in Nigeria, it is inevitable. So that is why we are trying to see how we can lessen the burden that trauma brings to the people.”
