Depression: Doing What Matters

In a search for a Nigerian comedy television programme suitable for the whole family  many years ago, the Johnsons family drama was recommended by a friend. I watched it and became hooked. It was just what I wanted, a programme that would bring the family together and make you laugh and forget your problems and sorrows. I never missed any episode. Watching the drama was a period of relaxation for everybody in my house. And one of the most talented of the casts was Emuakpor Johnson (Ada Obande Ameh), the matriarch of the Johnson’s clan. Her passion and ability to interpret her scripts so effortlessly, laced with constant humor was amazing.  She brought joy, love and laughter to many families. Some people say she was the reason they watched television.
To think that she was giving us so much joy and happiness while going through serious pains! The series of deaths in her family, culminating in the death of her daughter, her only child, Aladi Godgift, about two years ago, the task of a single parent, and many others, were the burden weighing her down yet she was able to give us first class entertainment. Information abound indicating that the screen diva also battled with depression for many years before giving up the ghost last Sunday at Warri, Delta State.  She will surely be greatly missed by many.
One important lesson to be learned from the life and death of Ada is that we should be kind and patient with others. A lot of people in the country are currently going through tough times. Sometimes all you see is their smiles, but you don’t see their struggles.  Many are in agony over the death of their loved ones due to the incessant killings going on across the country. Many are living in fear not knowing the next person to be killed in their families, churches and around them generally. Two days ago, I was chatting with a priest over the series of kidnapping and killing of catholic priests lately and he said, “I am living in fear in my country”.
The unabating harsh economic situation in the country, the insensitivity of the leaders over the plight and welfare of the citizens are taking a toll on the people. Many people go to bed without hope of what their children would eat tomorrow, not to talk of how to settle their landlords that are making life a living hell for them. I don’t know how many of us have stopped to wonder about the state of some families where the parents are lecturers in public universities and have not been paid their salaries for five months yet the health, feeding and other needs of their children must be met.
So, being in a group, belonging to a society and some people are not able to meet their financial obligations, don’t go lashing out on them because truly, you don’t know what they are going through. That a friend or neighbour has not been able to pay his children’s school fees and probably has come to you for some financial assistance shouldn’t make you take him to the marketplace. There is no better time to be our brother’s keepers in Nigeria than now, trying as much as possible to be the reason why others smile and have hope just like Ada did until she died. A guest speaker at a recent women’s programme advised mothers to deliberately create time for themselves, once in a while, go to recreational centers or to any restaurant they can afford and “spoil themselves because problems no dey finish”.
In order to be in a sound state of mind to weather the storm in the country presently, we all need to adopt this measure.  Come up with ways to be happy and joyful irrespective of whatever is happening around you, because truly, healthy mental health is important. Keep friends that have things in common with you. Buy new things for yourself, travel if you can afford it. Just try and be happy. Having a closer relationship with God can also help.
And that brings us to the question of how we, both as individuals, groups and government , handle mental health issues. There are many stories of how people that present with symptoms of mental health challenges – depression, mood disorder, paranoia and others, are sent to traditional healing homes and religious centers where they are tortured, abused and dehumanised. Some of them are put in chains, force-fed medicine and herbs, whipped constantly and denied food and water.
A family I know, in this day and age, went to the extent of throwing a sewing  machine, clothes and other items in a river as directed by a spiritualist as a way of appeasing “a marine spirit” that was presumably responsible for their daughter’s mental health issue.  But did that solve the problem? No. Her condition kept deteriorating as they kept running from pillar to post until they were directed to a psychologist who treated her. According to the psychologist, what the girl had was nothing more than depression and after some therapeutic sessions with her, she became better. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. The organisation said that mental health is “more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities,” Emphasising that preserving and restoring mental health is crucial on an individual basis, as well as through different communities and societies across the globe.
Records have it that an estimated 20-30 per cent of our population suffer from one form of mental disorder or another and with the harsh economic realities in the country, the number is likely to increase, hence the need for adequate economic investment in mental health programmes, professionals and facilities. If only we can heed health professionals’ advice and begin to see mental health problems as any other ailment like malaria, stomach pain and others, it will go a long way in addressing the misconceptions regarding mental health. That will invariably change our attitude towards the patients and curtail the stigma, social exclusion and discrimination that occur around people with mental problems.
To achieve that, the media, ministry of health at various levels, medical professionals, NGOs and other stakeholders must join hands in sensitising and educating the citizens on mental health issues. Very importantly, more attention needs to be given to the  problem by various governments in the country. An online article, “The time is now: Reforming Nigeria’s outdated health laws”, authored by the Lancet Global Health disclosed that “Nigeria currently faces a global human rights emergency in mental health. Underpinned by poor societal attitudes towards mental illness and inadequate resources, facilities, and mental health staff, figures suggest that approximately 80% of individuals with serious mental health needs in Nigeria cannot access care”.
Adequate attention therefore, needs to be paid on training of more mental health professionals, providing and equipping of more health facilities, especially in the rural areas to cater for this special need as reports have shown that with a population of more than 200 million people, there are fewer than 300 practicing psychiatrists in the country. Many stakeholders and analysts have also harped on the need for strong legislation that will set the standard for psychiatric treatment in the country as the existing law is no longer in tune with current realities.

By: Calista Ezeaku