Psychiatrists warn of mental health conditions amidst economic hardship
ANigeria, a chorus of frustration echoes as rising inflation pummels not just pockets but also mental well- being. The escalating cost of necessities like food, housing and healthcare is fueling protests, anxiety, stress and even depression, painting a grim picture of daily life for many.
President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria ( APN), Prof. Taiwo Obindo expressed concerns over the increasing number of people living below the poverty line and mental health.
In an interview with The Guardian, Obindo lamented that people are developing mental health conditions due to the pressure and the stresses that they are facing adding that many have lost their jobs, their businesses, while some are unable to pay their children's school fees or access even healthcare and all these can trigger mental health conditions.
He said, ' Everybody operates under a particular degree of mental health. Finance, unemployment, insecurity, and underemployment all impact people's mental health. If you need to meet a particular need and you are not able to do so, it also impacts on your life and your mental health so those things will cause distress and the distress they cause could impact on people’s mental health, with the distress, people may now start showing one or two symptoms of mental health conditions if not addressed.
According to him, "Poverty and mental health have a bidirectional relationship. Poverty leads to people developing mental health conditions, not being able to take care of their mental health condition, and also impacting how they respond to the treatment that they are being given.
According to him, “Those who are even receiving treatment for mental health conditions are also impacted because they can no longer afford their drugs. So many are no longer able to transport themselves to the hospital as the cost of transportation has increased and quite a few of them are not able to come again. Not only are they not able to transport themselves there, but they are also not able to afford the drugs because the cost of drugs has gone up and that has increased the incidence. So that has increased the prevalence of mental health conditions.
Obindo urged the government to take immediate action to address the impending mental health crisis and called for increased budgetary allocation for health, implementation of the 2023 Mental Health Act, and targeted support for vulnerable groups like pregnant women, children, the elderly, and homeless individuals.