The World Health Organization (WHO) 2022 global status report on mental health indicates that the nearly one billion people are living with mental health conditions globally.
This is ocassioned by emergence of COVID-19 pandemic which has consequently caused an increase in depression and anxiety rate by more than 25% in the first year of occurance.
According to the report also people living with mental health conditions are among the most underserved with treatment gap ranging between 55% and 90% in high and low-income countries respectively including Nigeria.
In his speech to mark this years World Mental health Day in Abuja, The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate also lamented that depression increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer among others.
“Similarly, the presence of disease conditions such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Neglected Tropical Diseases and other infectious diseases such as COVID 19 can increase the risk for mental health conditions.”
The worst he lamented is that many individuals have been denied of their human right and excluded from making tbeir own conditions due to having a mental health condition which should not be.
the reason to deprive a person of their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health.
” yet many people with mental health conditions continues to experience a wide range of human rights violations globally. Many are excluded from community life and discriminated against, while many more cannot access the mental health care they need or can only access care that violates their human rights.
Therefore we need to do more as a country to promote good mental health and wellbeing of everybody
The Minister however said ministry of Health is deeply committed in developing legislations, policies, guidelines and interventions aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of all people in Nigeria.
“Ministry in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders is facilitating the passage and eventual presidential assent to the National Mental Health Act 2021 to help promote good mental health and wellbeing, and protection of the rights of those living with mental health conditions.
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