Expert wants FG to implement National Mental Health Policy
NAN-HG-6
Mental
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Abuja, Oct. 10, 2016 (NAN) Dr Olusola Ephraim-Oluwanuga, a Chief Consultant Psychiatrist at National Hospital, Abuja, on Monday called on the Federal Government to implement the national mental health policy.
Ephraim-Oluwanuga made this call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja to commemorate the World Mental Health Day.
According to her, the Nigerian Mental Health Act 2013 was re-introduced to the National Assembly and yet to be passed.
“We are not saying government did not do anything, what they need is to step it up and look at the National Mental Policy.
“Government need to increase its investment in mental health, pass the Mental Health Bill and have a health policy on mental health as practiced in other developed countries,’’ she said.
Ephraim-Oluwanuga said mental health systems are subsystem of the healthcare system, and how these services are organised, delivered and financed is significantly influenced by the way in which the overall health services system are run.
She said the theme of this year’s mental health day was tagged “Psychological First Aid’ (PFA), adding that it is a technique designed to reduce the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Ephraim-Oluwanuga said people react to similar events differently, saying that not all people who experience a potentially traumatic event would actually become psychologically traumatised.
The consultant said Internally Displaced Persons could be traumatised in one way or the other psychologically due to their experienced at killings and bombings.
Ephraim-Oluwanuga said disasters, conflicts and health problems have severe psychosocial consequences.
She said the emotional wounds may be less visible than the destruction of homes, but it often takes far longer to recover from emotional impact than to overcome material losses.
“Early support and adaptation processes – which respect local customs in mental health or psychosocial healing – allow an affected population to cope better with a difficult situation.
“Social effects are the shared experiences caused by disruptive events and consequent death, separation, sense of loss and feeling of helplessness,’’ she said.
Ephraim-Oluwanuga said psychosocial support can be adapted in particular situations to respond to the psychological and physical needs of the people concerned, by helping them to accept the situation and cope with it.
NAN reports that the World Mental Health Day (WMHD) is marked on Oct. 10 annually to raise global mental health education, awareness and advocacy.
The 2016 WMHD campaign aims to achieve these goals by encouraging people to take personal ownership of their own mental health and wellbeing. (NAN)
OEO/MST/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola