Former governor of Enugu State, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo has advised Nigerians to forgive, avoid betrayal and embrace reconciliation to reduce the level of mental illness in the country.
The former governor, who was chairman at the opening ceremony of a one-week certificate course organised by the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu and West African College of Nursing said if Nigerians learn to love one another and easily mend fences, mental illness would reduce by, at least, 30 per cent.
He noted that every human being may have been mentally unstable at one time or the other due to his or her actions. Nwodo, who was represented by Dr. Ozoemenam said an unforgiving mind could cause anger and bitterness which could lead in pulling an individual down. He advised Nigerians to learn how to forgive to avert mental illness.
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Presenting the third inaugural lecture of the hospital, former Aviation minister, Osita Chidoka said Nigerians are afraid of mental ill-health as many believe the sickness is incurable. He added that learning from Nwodo that every human being may have suffered mental illness confirmed the fear. Chidoka who looked at personality disorder and terrorism as adding to mental illness, called on psychiatrists to educate people on the two illnesses in order to reduce the incidence of the ailment in the country.
In his welcome address, the Medical Director, Dr. Jojo Onwukwe said through the School of Post Basic Psychiatric Nursing, the annual public lecture of the hospital was crystallized.
"Permit me to use this as medium to inform everybody that the United Nation office of Drug and Crime (UNODC) has accredited this centre as an international drug treatment unit in the whole of South East, in recognition of its infrastructural and manpower development," he said.
The medical director disclosed that in pursing the goals of treating Nigerians with mental disorder, the Federal Government has approved the establishment of community treatment outreach centres in each of the senatorial zones across all the five states of the region.
"This will be a door-to-door treatment of patients in the community. "I want to apologise to everybody, that the programme is an expanding one; the pilot in the launch of it, as it starts from the senatorial zones. Every area will be covered in due time.
"This will definitely create better welfare package, employment, enhance the quality of life
of our patients and dignity of the mentally challenged, we will and must press urgently forward, in all these or more.
"This is a giant milestone towards de-stigmatising the erroneous perception about the mentally challenged, especially the elderly whom everyone sees and attributes their abnormal behaviour to the normal process of aging.
"This school has grown in leaps and bounds and since inception, 90 psychiatric nurses have been produced.
By: Chidi Nnadi, Enugu
Daily Sun News
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