The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) on Thursday in Ilorin disclosed that less than 200 psychiatrists attend to the mental health needs of well over 200 million Nigerians.

The President of APN, Prof. Taiwo Obindo, stated this in his address at the 55th Annual General Conference and Scientific Meeting of the association in Ilorin.

The theme of the conference was entitled: ” Prioritizing Mental Health Needs of Nigeria in a Depressed Economy: an Urgent call for Integrated, Comprehensive and Sustainable Interventions”.

Obindo observed that the “japa syndrome” has largely depleted the Mental Health Practitioners’ work force in the country.

He lamented that these tides need to be stemmed and reversed as the remaining mental health practitioners are overworked and poorly renumerated.

Obindo stated that mental health is yet to be accorded the needed attention by the government, while citing the example of Canada, which had a functional Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions.

According to him, Nigeria needs to lay emphasis and importance on mental health.

“Mental health in Nigeria is still a programme under the Department of Public Health in the Federal Ministry of Health.”

One other area needing attention is the budgetary allocation to health, and by extension, the mental health, which is less than six (6) percent.

“This falls short of the Abuja Declaration of 2001, where health allocation was to be pegged at a minimum of 15 percent of every country’s annual budget,” he said.

The APN President said the association has achieved some milestones recorded in the establishment of Mental Health Programme.

He advised on the implementation of the Mental Health Act of 2021, which replaced the Lunacy Act of 1958, and is a significant milestone after more than 30 years of failed efforts.

In his Lecture, Prof. Owoidoho Udofia, of the University of Calabar, a Guest Speaker at the occasion said: “study showed 12 percent of Nigerians have mental and behavioural disorder”.

He asserts that certain characteristics in some practitioners are responsible for poor identification of mental illness.

Similarly, Udofia observed that certain presence of culture specific somatic symptoms, significantly lowered identification rate of mental illness by General practitioners in teaching hospitals.

The Consultant Psychiatrist dismissed the assumption by colonialists that Africans are not sophisticated enough to have depression.

“Mental illness makes up less than 30 percent of the burden in teaching hospitals in Nigeria,.”

The illness is not only restricted to Schizophrenia and Psychosis. Substance use is high and there is need to improve diagnosis.

“There is also need to improve on the rates, as there is poor identification and research,” he advised.

In her goodwill message, Dr. Amina El-Imam, the Kwara Commissioner for Health, described the theme of the conference as a critical discuss.

The commissioner who was represented by Dr. Musiliu Adewale Ayotunde Odunaiya, Director Medical Services and Training, said that the society has surrounded the issue of mental health with myths and stigma.

She advised the psychiatrists to produce more awareness campaign on mental health to reduce stigma in the country. Earlier in his welcome address, Prof. Peter Ajiboye, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), said the theme of the conference reflects the collective recognition of the urgent need for tailored mental health solutions in Nigeria.

(NAN)