STIGMA, MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY AND THE NIGERIAN YOUTH

    “What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation” – was a quote by Glenn Close we all saw every single day. It was engraved upon one of the many picture frames behind the School Counsellor’s seat; and in my school, each class had a daily mandatory session with the counsellor. In my class was Susan, who was among the top 10 after every end-of-session examination. We all knew Susan’s parents were divorced and rumours were that the divorce had happened shortly after her mother got raped by armed robbers, right in their living room. Susan had been the only one who watched the whole scenario (since her father was on an official assignment) and being a child, she could not save her mom. The experience haunted her so much that she had nightmares; and insomnia. Then, she began to self-medicate, with strong alcoholic drinks. However, that soon stopped being effective; and she began to hear voices. She hated being alone. It scared the hell out of her. She hated darkness and silence. But where do you find perpetual noise in a South-Western school as strict as ours was? She soon began to lacerate herself. I think it relieved her in some ways. Maybe through those cuts, she bled away her ability to hear those voices. The day we saw them on her arms; we all shot different questions at her; and looked at her with sad, scared eyes. The news spread round the school and a lot of teachers-turned-psychologists called her to their offices, scolded and threatened her. Countless spiritual deliverance sessions were organized for her and she, soon, began to wear sweaters on every school wear. She became withdrawn and her self-esteem was damaged. One Friday, Susan decided to drink one of the many acids in the Chemistry Lab; all attempts to save her life were in vain. We lost her. 

Indeed, we live in times when there is so much pressure on the average youth. The pressure to serve the Maker; the pressure to get rich; the pressure to get a partner, the pressure to have an established social media influence; the pressure to make good grades, among others. All these, combined with the many challenges life intermittently hauls at one, are enough to cause one to shatter mentally and psychologically. A greater percentage of the people is aware that physical stress could lead to physical illnesses; but does not realize that, in the same vein, mental stress can lead to mental illnesses. People care for their loved ones when they have Malaria; but fear their loved ones when they have symptoms of Schizophrenia. They believe the Malaria patient will recover; but try to manage the Schizophrenia patient by binding such, with brass chains, to poles and performing series of exorcism and battery upon the individual. And because the assaulters are, themselves, victims of a distorted societal perception, they believe they are in the right. Ignorance is said to be inexcusable but it is, undoubtedly, a powerful tool for destruction. And this destruction can only be destroyed, in the face of true education and literacy. The ignorant destruction of individuals living with mental illnesses can only be resolved by a system known as mental health literacy. Mental Health Literacy has been defined, by Wikipedia, as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders, which aid their recognition, management or prevention. Mental Health Literacy has three major components: recognition, knowledge and attitudes. And proper education on mental health must be based upon these three solid pillars. 

First among them is recognition. Recognition entails the ability to detect disorders and types of distress, as well as the symptoms pertaining to those disorders. It is commonly said that the future of any nation lies in the hands of its youths. If the youths are properly taught to recognize the common mental disorders that exist, and the symptoms to look out for, there will surely be an increased ease in the diagnosis of mental illnesses among youths, children and adults. Furthermore, after being taught to recognize disorders and their symptoms, youths must receive knowledge on how to get further information on these disorders; their causes; the factors that trigger them, how to help patients and where to seek for professional help. Appropriate knowledge on mental health disorders are guaranteed to aid the prevention, management and treatment of these disorders. 

However, recognition and knowledge cannot function properly without the third and foundational pillar, attitude. It is the mindset of the people towards mental illnesses; towards people with those mental illnesses and towards seeking professional help or treatment that guarantees that true education takes place. For education abounds not just in the knowledge; but in the ability to act well upon that knowledge. And the ability to act upon education is impossible where that action is massively frowned upon. In Nigeria, the pillar that begs for erection most is the attitudinal pillar. The reason why Susan had to go through those sessions of scolding, humiliation and exorcism is because of the stigma that had been entrenched so deeply into the attitudes and beliefs of her school society. This stigma stems from the erroneous general belief that supernatural forces, witches, evil spirits and even God cause mental illnesses. These beliefs have influenced the attitude of Nigerians towards the mentally ill. Historically, people with mental illnesses were burned, hanged, mutilated, abandoned and restrained with chains, all in a bid to save their souls, or bring redemption to their families and curb the iniquities causing mental illness within the families. In present times, the stigma is not as barbaric; but still as inhuman. Instead of being killed, they are now being ostracized; and instead of being chained, they face humiliation. They lose admissions into universities and employment into jobs, even when they are qualified. The ones who want to ‘help’ take them to the house of prophets, imams and herbalists; so that the demon(s) tormenting them could be driven out. For fear of these, many that are affected with these illnesses never own up to them. And even when they own up, they want a silent, self-treatment procedure. They want it kept a secret and stiffly refuse any advice to seek professional/medical help. 

Nevertheless, this stigma and its impeding effects on mental health literacy can be resolved if the under-listed set of simple instructions are strictly adhered to by the youths. Firstly, youths should talk openly about mental health, as they discuss other secular and health-related topics, on different social media platforms and in gatherings. Familiarity is a powerful tool in normalizing topics that are viewed as taboos. Youths are also to educate themselves and others about mental health, mental illnesses and their associated stigma. In furtherance, youths are to advocate for equality between physical and mental illnesses as that is how it is meant to be. And as they advocate for this equality, they should show compassion for those with mental illnesses; let the media know when they are being stigmatized and never be instruments of stigma. Youths should also be open to general literacy; and should polish their multi-lingual skills; so as to be able to efficiently communicate with mental health patients that may be faced with communication barriers. 

Most importantly, youths can engage in campaigns to compel the government and public health institutions to allocate more finance to the mental health sector; as a mentally-ill populace cannot generate optimum revenue for the economy. Youths can also petition the government into reducing the costs of mental health care services; as high costs are very likely to dissuade a large percentage of people who seek for medical assistance. Then, youths can, as a whole, implore the higher authorities to serve as agents of mental health literacy awareness, through the media, and the press. For mental illnesses affect not only youths, but also children, the middle-aged and even the aged. But it is impossible for a nation to remain in slumber, when the youths are awake. Thus, in honour of Susan and everyone who has suffered; or is suffering from any mental illness, I join my voice with Lilla J. Blackmore’s to say, “Before stigmatizing a mental health disorder, please study it (using the right books, not just Google) and try to walk in those shoes until you truly understand what it is about. After that, shut up anyway. Unless you have just words of love and support.”