Tamas Fülöp Award - The network - Towards Unity For Health

STUDENTS’ COLUMN
STUDENTS’ SPEAKERS CORNER
Community
Mental Health Education in Nigeria
I just concluded an insightful ten-week
posting in psychiatry. I gained a panoramic
view of mental health and some knowledge
of how the attitudes, beliefs and practices
of individuals in the local community affect
the concept of psychiatry.
The concept of mental health is integrated
into the WHO (1986) definition of ‘health’
or ‘wholeness’ of an individual, which states
that “Health is a state of complete physi-
Queens Medical Centre
cal, mental and social well being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
easily accepts issues on general body health
psychiatry and community mental health
Hence, when considering the general well-
while matters on mental illness are treated
education in Nigeria was in 1954, when a
being of individuals in the community there
is no need to fragment the health of their
body from their mind, as they both constitute
the total state of health of any individual.
Stigmatisation
The perception of psychiatry varies from
community to community. Generally, mental
illness is still being perceived as being
spiritually related in developing countries
like Nigeria. It is reported that about 70%
of the population of Nigeria reside in rural
communities. Lack of understanding and
knowledge about mental health by the
community contributes largely to the stigmatisation
of practitioners (psychiatrists,
other health workers, medical students in
psychiatry posting) in the field of psychiatry
as well as the patients.
A brief story: a fellow medical student of
mine was on her way to the psychiatric
with rejection. The first point of call for
most of these members of the community in
the care/treatment of mental illness is
traditional/spiritual healers, due to lack of
proper understanding together with the
traditional belief that the sources of mental
health problems are spiritual. This approach
usually prevents early detection of the factors
that contribute to the illness. It also
delays initiation of prompt and effective
therapy.
Gap
Over the years more focus has been placed
on community and family health education
with mental health education being
neglected. This reality has created a wide
gap between attitudes and practices
towards improving the general body health
and that of mental health. It is therefore
important that we scientifically educate
the community on good mental health. At
the same time they need to understand
notable doctor, Professor Adeoye Thomas
Lambo formed a diurnal hospital system
around a psychiatric hospital, Aro-Abeokuta
(during that period they did not have the
infrastructure or manpower for the mentally
ill) where the individuals in the community
allowed patients to stay in rented rooms in
their houses where they were treated and in
exchange the villagers were given water
and free healthcare services. This initiative
was reported to have shown an effective
enhancement in the mental health of the
patients, improved prognosis and reduction
in stigmatisation.
It is important to note that community
psychiatry involves the education of people
in the community, preventive measures,
therapy, rehabilitation and support of the
mentally ill and those convalescing.
There is therefore a need to create mental
healthcare programmes and at the same
time involve individuals in the community
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hospital when she decided to hail a cab
that apart from genetic predispositions to
in its initiation. Apart from community
going via that route. She was then asked by
mental disorders, we are all predisposed to
mental health education, the need to estab-
the cabman where specifically she wanted
a decline in our mental health; it should not
lish population-based treatment and care is
to be dropped off and when she mentioned
be attributed to cultural phenomenon and
also very vital.
the hospital the cabman blatantly refused
perceived enemies in their locality. There is
to take her there.
hence a necessity to integrate this in vari-
Igwilo Ugonnaya Ugochineyre | SNO
ous organised healthcare programmes.
African Representative, College of Health
This may be attributed to the poor knowl-
Sciences, Igbinedion University, Nigeria
edge of mental health due to inadequate
Mental Healthcare Programmes
Email: chinyerehumphrey@yahoo.com
mental health education. The community
The earliest account of community
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