It was a lively Friday morning inside the ever-busy Oba Market in the heart of Benin City, Nigeria. I joined a mental Health Awareness campaign group to sensitize our people on the importance of their mental health to their overall well-being. Mrs Lamat (real name withheld) had offered me a seat under her umbrella shade where she sells fish.
Part of our activities for the day was to take a quick survey to ascertain the level of awareness of Mental Health amongst residents of Benin Metropolis. One after the other, she enthusiastically answered my survey questions. Everything had gone smoothly until I popped the question, “Have you had a mental health challenge before?” She quickly shrug her shoulder in negation and shouted “God forbid”. Then I realized I had not asked the question with the ‘right’ words.
I then rephrased it. “Madam no vex, I meant, have you had a situation where you were emotionally down, or couldn’t think straight for days, or thought of killing yourself, or you became addicted to drugs or anything like that?”
Instantly, her face, which had turned tensed and fierce became relaxed and then immediately turned gloomy. She said, “my pickin’, that one na normal thing nah.” What happened? I asked.“They kidnapped him, my first son, I was thinking he will come back after a few days, but this na 3years now I have not set my eyes on Ebose even if na his corpse. As if that one is not enough, his elder sister, my first daughter died trying to deliver her first child, my grandchild. My daughter, I no see, her innocent child I no see.”
The initial reaction of Mrs Lamat to my question gives you an idea of how much an average Nigerian knows about Mental Health Problems. Once you mention mental health disorders, everyone thinks you are talking about mad people picking rotten bread and food on heaps of dirt along the streets. People don’t realize that mental health problems are much more than that.
The president of the Association of Psychiatrics in Nigeria (APN) reported that more than 60 million Nigerians suffering from one form of a mental health problem or the other. That figure is scary! Yet, it is hardly talked about. That doesn’t mean that the monster isn’t having a field day, secretly destroying the lives of many.
What is Mental Health?
World Health Organization defines Mental Health as a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. National Health Service in the UK defines it as our emotional, psychological and social well-being.
Mental Health Disorders, therefore, are a wide range of mental health problems that affect your mood, thinking and behaviour. It doesn’t just mean madness. It ranges from very scary conditions such as Schizophrenia to more commonly underrated ones such as depression, personality disorders etc.
The following are some of the common Mental Health disorders that are usually underrated while it silently ravages people’s lives, shredding them into pieces, inside out.
Depression
This is a mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities and a decreased ability to carry out normal daily activities. Usually, the persons feel hopeless, easily angered and sometimes prefers to withdraw from everyone, has difficulty making decisions or concentrating, is tired, difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, has changes in appetite, has low sexual drive, inflicting injury on him/herself and in extreme conditions, thoughts of suicide.
It is important to point out that clinical depression as described above is different from the transient of feeling “depressed” which usually goes away in a few hours or days. The key difference here is that in real depression, it is persistent, usually lasting for weeks.
A study published in 2017 by World Health Organization(WHO) reports that over 7 million Nigerians are suffering from depression. A figure I consider very conservative. If you have lived in this ‘giant of Africa’ in the past few years, you will agree with me that that number must have skyrocketed. Note that this is just one, out of many mental health disorders that a very common in Nigeria. Depression is the leading cause of suicide in Nigeria.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Are there tough, unpleasant or traumatic incidents in your life that appear as though it still hunts you despite happening a long time ago. It could be months, years or decades, yet some triggers appear to always bring back painful memories. You could be getting flashbacks, nightmares etc. If that is you, you could be suffering from PTSD.
Sources of PTSD vary. It could be childhood domestic or sexual abuse, recent physical assaults, accidents, trauma from gunshots or loud sounds, serious illness, losing a loved one etc.
Usually, the victim tries to avoid situations, persons, environments or experiences that would trigger the painful flashback of the trauma.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety in itself is not bad. It is just worrying over the uncertainties of everyday life. But for people suffering from anxiety disorders, it is not just worrying. They usually have excessive panic and fear over what would not trouble a normal person that much. Their worries are usually debilitating and scary. It is in different forms:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder – Excessive fear or worry in everyday life.
Social Anxiety – Fear of being judged or laughed at by others
Separation Anxiety – Fear of being separated from a particular person, usually a loved one, provider or sex partner.
Phobia – an uncontrollable and irrational fear of an object, activity or situation. Etc.
To be continued…
Chijioke Nwambam is a Medical Student at the University of Benin, Benin City.
