Following the rising cases of mental health disorder in the society, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mental Health Orientation And Advocacy Initiative, has called for the upgrading of facilities at the Psychiatric Hospital, Rumuigbo, and other health facilities treating mental health issues in the the state.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Mrs. Esther Kala-Nne Amachree, who said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, also called for the employment of more social workers at the hospital.
She linked many mental issues to depression, caused by hardship in the society.
“There is a psychiatric hospital at Rumuigbo which is a government-owned, and there are other private ones which are beyond the reach of the common man.
“Then, there is another one at University of Port Harcourt (UPTH), which is owned by the government and there are needs for the government to improve and develop these places because there are a lot of areas that they are still not functioning very well”, she said.
Amachree said government should address the inadequacy of social workers at the health facilities.
“There are no social workers at the hospital, and you cannot be treating a mental health issue without the help of social workers.
“This has to do with someone that relates to the patient one-on-one, to know and to ascertain their emotional level and to also know how they relate back at home and to check where these triggers or issues are coming out from”, she noted.
She added that social workers are very important as they are closer to people suffering from mental diseases.
“The doctors can’t do that. The doctors treat, the psychiatrist treats and the psychologist most times teach them on how to carry out things, how to cope with things. The social worker is more intimate”, she said.
Amachree called on government to address the rising cases of poverty in the society by creating conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
She said many mental issues maybe due to depression caused by poverty .
“The government should be able to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and for families to live comfortably.
“What this means is that if there are employments, the man and the woman will be gainfully employed to be able to provide for their children”, she stated further.
She continued that the high level of poverty in the society has given rise to prostitution, robbery and other social vices which sometimes lead to mental health issues.
Amachree also advised parents to plan the size of their families in order to avoid giving birth to children they cannot cater for.
She explained that her organisation is into mental health awareness and mental health education.
According to her, “In Africa and Nigeria as a whole, mental health is one subject that people shy away from and they don’t have the right information.
“That’s exactly what it is and the NGO is about creating the awareness about mental health, pointing out the importance to individuals”,she stated.
She said the organisation intends to create more awareness and educate the society on issues concerning mental health.
According to her, the organization has set-up a programme tagged ”360 Voice Mentorship Club”, explaining that it has to do with mentoring the boy child in order to groom them to be responsible members of the society.
She said the boy child has been neglected for so long and, therefore, needs to be given more attention by the society.

By: John Bibor & Eunice Ubelejit