Mental Health Awareness among Nigerian Adolescents

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines an adolescent as any individual between the ages of 10 and 19. The WHO also refers to people between the ages of 10 and 24 as young people. In addition, the Merriam-Webster dictionary explains adolescence as the period of life when a child develops into an adult, that is, the period from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of adulthood. For the purpose of this article, we will consider adolescence as between the ages of 10 and 24. Having established these meanings, it is important that we weigh in on the relevance of mental health awareness among adolescents.

In nearly every country today, a lot of attention has been drawn towards mental health, and rightly so. Mental illnesses are fast eating away at the fabric of once-healthy individuals, targeting youths and adolescents in various parts of the world. Nigeria is not left out, as studies have shown that the average Nigerian adolescent presents high levels of ignorance about mental health and mental illnesses.

When we throw words like “mental health” around, we do not refer simply to persons who are mentally deranged. While this is a significant part of mental health, this article focuses on less dramatic, less obvious mental issues that may easily be overlooked. For instance, depression. One of the leading causes of suicide among adolescents across the world today is depression. According to the World Health Organisation (2020), depression is a leading cause of disability, resulting in great suffering and poor functioning of the affected individual. Worse still, depression was projected to become the 2nd most burdensome disease by the year 2020. Reports also reveal that no less than eight hundred thousand (800,000) people lose their lives to suicide on a yearly basis. You guessed right: Most cases were as a result of depression.

Thankfully, there is always a silver lining to every grey cloud. In developed nations of the world, there are effective and well-known treatments for mental disorders. Sadly, the same cannot be said of developing countries like Nigeria. Why, you may wonder? The problem begins with understanding what mental illnesses are and a desire to get help for the treatment of the condition, whatever it may be. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, most mental illnesses and disorders often go unrecognized, and in some cases, misdiagnosed. The level of ignorance about mental illnesses and disorders among Nigerian adolescents is on the high side. Studies like Gureje, Lasebikan, Ephraim-Oluwanuga, et al (2005) reveal that most mental illnesses in Nigeria are viewed as spiritual attacks, and consequently, the first points of consultations are traditional healers and religious leaders. This is no lie! A personal experience I had in 2017 buttresses this claim. At the time, I was a young, serving corps member in a Nigerian state. Along the line, I developed an anxiety disorder along with depression.

Not knowing it was a mental health issue, I would cry and pray, wondering why my life seemed to be in disarray. From my parents, I received very little help as they began to take me around religious gatherings, hoping for a miraculous cure. It was not until I read a few things on the internet and met with a doctor that I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder coupled with depression. Shortly after, I was placed on medications. In a year or less, I felt much better. It is however painful to note that even whilst I was surrounded by adolescents my age, no one was able to figure out what was happening to me. Not one person had a clue, and this is the case with many adolescents in Nigeria.

Adolescents are the future! Youths are the future!! If positive changes are going to take place in the mental health space in Nigeria and other developing nations of the world, then we need to start paying attention to adolescents. More than anything, friends, and families must be targeted to increase mental health awareness. These programs should equally target teachers and school counselors who work with adolescents and young people. They spend quality time with young people and should therefore be able to recognize the first signs and symptoms. Campaigns should be taken to schools to ensure that right from when children are young, they understand that mental health is as important as physical health. Religious institutions should equally make provisions for mental health awareness at their gatherings. By implementing these, help-seeking behaviors are increased and the rate of mental illnesses decreased.