A
United Kingdom-based consultant psychiatrist and CEO of Synapse Services, a
centre for psychological medicine, Dr. Vincent Udenze, yesterday in Abuja
stated that about 18 million Nigerians have mental disorder.
Quoting
the World Health Organisation report, he said, 12 per cent of Nigerians have
had symptoms to need diagnosis of mental disorders. That’s about 18 million of
the Nigerian population.
Addressing
newsmen in Abuja on the role of the family system in the treatment of mental health,
Udenze called for investment by the private sector in psychiatric medicine, to
assist in reducing the trend of mental disorders in Nigeria.
He
also noted that it is not only people who are mentally disordered and on the
streets that are considered mentally ill.
The
psychiatrist further noted that mental illness constituted a stigma to the family
of the victim more than the victim himself.
According
to him, “When it comes to treatment, the family members are important in
psychiatric medicine. Quality and better services for people are what matters.
“The
mentally disordered people are being abused, stigmatized and neglected. In some
areas, there is the belief that sleeping with a mentally disordered person has
some spiritual significance. Private sector investment is urgently needed
because, in a vast country like Nigeria, the two known centres are in Aro in
Abeokuta and Yaba.”
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