The nation’s present socio-economic environment could be a predisposing factor to depression
A former President of the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria, Prof Taiwo Obindo, warned recently that the increasing economic hardship and rising insecurity in the country were pushing more Nigerians towards developing mental illness, including anxiety and depression. He joined other experts who argue that even when most mental illnesses are treatable, with some conditions requiring only psychological intervention, expensive out-of-pocket payment for healthcare now drives many Nigerians diagnosed with mental illnesses away from orthodox care to alternative healers with dire consequences.
Before Obindo’s warning, medical practitioners under the aegis of the Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria (SOFPON) had raised the alarm that seven million Nigerians are living with depression, a major risk factor for suicide. They also called for well-structured Primary Healthcare Centres that would help detect and treat depression early before the onset of suicide attempts. Even without any research to examine some of the causes with a view to finding remedies, the socio-political environment tells a compelling story of its own. Given the growing incidence of suicide among Nigerians, the authorities must listen to these professionals on the need to find ways of dealing with depression before they trigger suicide in the patients.
In Nigeria today, the plight of the under-privileged is steadily worsening and many go to bed with less than a survival diet. The unemployment crisis has created a lost generation of graduates who cannot find jobs. Yet it is an established fact that impoverished individuals are a major risk group for depression. And depression, according to experts, is the most common reason why people commit suicide. It is therefore no surprise that the nation’s present socio-economic environment could be a predisposing factor to depression and perhaps suicide.
Indeed, there is enormous emotional and financial stress as well as pervading poverty and hopelessness everywhere. From the North to the South of the country, reported cases of suicide, not to mention the variety of those who use themselves as human bombs, are varied and now on the increase. However, there are also other reasons why people take their own lives and devastate members of their family and friends with shock. They include underlying mental disorders such as schizophrenia and excessive alcoholism. Drug abuse plays significant role in triggering suicidal thoughts. Schizophrenia is a disease with a wide range of weird symptoms like hallucinations, inner voices, disordered thinking and irrational fears and “emotions that seem out of tune with reality”.
Today, the use of hard drugs—particularly Indian hemp, cocaine and even methamphetamine are commonplace in the society—drugs whose adverse effects range from depression to suicide. Indeed, manic depression, an emotional seesaw, oscillating between exhilarating highs and devastating lows, is cited as one the reasons why there is so much insanity out there in the streets. But it would appear that neither the society nor the critical agencies of government are paying attention to this malaise. Nigeria is becoming a country where so many things that were in the past considered taboo now happen virtually every day—and these include the extreme act of deliberately taking one’s life. Indeed, reports on suicide involving Nigerians have grimly moved from an occasional blip to a very disturbing trend.
Fortunately, breakthroughs in science and medicine have brought hope that many mental patients can lead normal and productive lives. So are suicide victims if help can reach them early enough. Depression, one of the main culprits of suicides is treatable. This is why we call on all authorities to take out for rehabilitation the mentally challenged who roam the streets. Public officials at all levels should also by way of good governance pay serious attention to the constraints that could trigger suicidal thoughts in many of our nationals.