By Prisca Nguzo
No fewer than fifty non-psychiatrists and health workers drawn from the 27 local government areas of Imo State have been trained to help tackle the prevalence of mental health issues in the state.
The four-day intensive training was sponsored by the Nigerian Mental Health Practitioners, USA, in conjunction with Nigeria-American Institute for Mental Health.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Owerri, on Tuesday, the the President of Nigerian Mental Health Practitioners USA, Dr. Azubuike Aliche, said the training became necessary following the growing concern about the poor state of mental health care in Nigeria.
Aliche said the training would eqquip the participants who were mainly primary health workers in the state with the necessary skills and operational expertise on how to manage mental health issues readily and efficiently.
He called on the state government to collaborate with his group towards achieving greater results in mental health management in the state, while urging the trainees to ensure that the communities feel the positive impacts of the training.
Aliche said, "The number of people who suffer from mental illness needs to be reduced. Right now, the WHO puts the number of people in Nigeria with one form of mental illness or the other at 40 million or 20% of the population. I saw other figures in the literature which put that at 10%. Even 10% should be considered high enough to warrant immediate remedial action.
"For Nigeria-American Institute for Mental Health, our first order of business is to contribute to integrating mental healthcare into the primary health system in Nigeria. We are here today to begin that process by embarking on training. We have WHO mh-GAP program that will train non-psychiatrists to be able to conduct screenings to identify mental health symptoms, refer out and work with people to manage those symptoms.
"We also plan to work with governments at various levels to train other cadres of mental health professionals, including social workers, psychologists, and professional counselors."
Prof. Alphonsus Ngwadom, USA licensed psychotherapist and Fellow of National Board of Certified Counselor, USA and Rev. Sir. Dr. Francisca Nzeke, member of the USA-based mental health practitioners, also expressed concerns over the conditions of patients with mental health challenges and urged the government and health institutions to give priority attention to the mental health care of the citizens.
"We expect Imo State government to buy in the idea of integrating primary mental health care services into our healthcare system. Unfortunately, individuals with stress, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders don’t know who and where to go. I also expect community health centers, general hospitals, and clinics to hire nurses and health care workers who specialize in mental health diagnoses to offer professional services." Ngwadom said.
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In her remark, the Imo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mrs. Chioma Egu appreciated the group for the initiative and pledged state government support to the training programme.
She disclosed that the state government had commenced plans to strengthen mental health care in the state through mainstreaming of mental health into the primary health system, integration of programmes into policy frameworks and support for community mental health outreaches.
She noted that the efforts would help to save lives, restore dignity and reduce the stigma patients with mental health challenges face, as well as ensure that mental health care was accessible and affordable to all Imo people.
"We are witnessing increasing mental health needs-driven by socioeconomic pressures, the aftershocks of insecurity, displacements, substance abuse and post COVID-19 realities. But today event marks a significant milestone in our collective journey towards strengthening mental health care in our state." Egu said.
The training had six areas of focus, including depression, anxiety, suicide prevention, substance use disorders, epilepsy and psychosis.
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