RECENTLY, a consultant Neuro-psychiatrist, Dr Jimoh Adejumo, said the economic hardship in the country has affected the mental health of hundreds of thousands of Nigeria. Adejumo, who works with the Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Yaba in Lagos, added that, factors such as inflation, poverty, child abuse, rape, broken homes and broken marriages, financial problems, traumatic experiences and degrees of violence among others are taking a toll on the mental health well-being of the citizens.
It is difficult to argue with Dr Adejumo’s summation – in these trying times in the country, it is only apt to delineate these issues from the perspective of a Nigerian. Well, don’t you think the situation in the country warrants you to check your mental health?
We have an economy so harsh to the extent that breadwinners/fathers flee because of responsibilities, which in turn gives rise to many problems among which are in some cases, child delinquency – kids underage are forced to fend for themselves. Not to talk of the everyday rise of necessities in the market.
Parents are weighed down by responsibilities, denying their children the adequate love they need, it’s not on purpose but they can’t help it. Folks are always out there trying to put food on the table. Feeding and education (the basics a child needs) are all tempered with, why won’t a child grow up traumatized and live a life of mental imbalance?
In today’s economy, people are struggling to feed themselves. Inflation has pushed the prices of foods items far beyond the means of most Nigerians. Millions of families are unable to afford 3 meals a day, in some cases 1 meal a day hardly comes by. Food items given by the top government to be disbursed are hijacked by the who and who at different levels, to be used during campaigns. These people are not asking for luxury or a healthy eating lifestyle of a starter, main course, and dessert in a meal, they just want to quench their thirst and hunger. But they way things are going, there seem to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
There are also tuition/school fees waving at you. A rise in tuition fees leads to a rise in the number of dropouts (in most cases, we all know what happens to dropouts), whereas those who are lucky to have graduated from the university are left with no jobs. Unemployed with responsibilities. NBS recently reported an unemployment rate of 5.3 percent (Q4 2022) and 4.1 percent (Q1 2023), based on the new Nigeria Labor Force survey. You can imagine the anger and frustration that comes with this.
Has anyone ever thought of what goes through the mind of a qualified graduate with no job for years? In most cases you are simply denied a job opportunity because you don’t have a long leg as it is jokingly said often, or rather you will be called for an interview after 10 years of unemployment after graduation from the university and be required to have 6 years experience in a field and be below 25 years of age. Is this not playing? One sad reality.
OK, there is a mix-up somewhere, the people at the top are not denying youths jobs, there are no jobs, even for the ones born with silver spoons in their mouths. So the less privileged should opt for menial jobs while the lucky ones should buy the job offer!
There is also the growing insecurity – people living in fear of the unknown. With kidnapping growing at a scary rate, nobody is spared and npbody is safe. The trouble, or trauma a kidnapped person experiences is not something to even imagine. They appear strong after regaining their freedom but they are faced with intrusive thoughts, decreased concentration, and overcautious fear of the tragedy happening again. Then again there is guilt, anger, helplessness, and depression sets in. Kidnapped persons are entitled to therapy and counseling, which I think the government and society ignore.
GenZ – GenZ people of self-dependence, people of self-rights, future millionaires, and people of AI. Jumping to startup business with the mindset of self-employment without waiting on the government only to be discouraged and hindered by the growing lack of proper avenues for any business to succeed. Dollar rate, market inflation, low demand. A lot of business owners are going through a lot, masking it with the tag of “I am doing something” or “I am a business owner” not a bad thing though, this has helped a lot of people stand on their feet, but business without profit?
Let’s look away from the country’s problems and look inwards into our home, our marriages. The most triggered depression or mental health cause is infidelity in marriages, which has become the order of the day. Unfortunately, several long-term effects of infidelity affect a person as it goes on or long after it has stopped.
These can be life-changing and lead to the development of certain mental health conditions including chronic depression, anxiety, post-infidelity stress disorder, and betrayal disorder. In defense, the issue of spouses killing each other is always heard, mostly the wives killing the husbands for the fear of being divorced, and the stigma that comes with being a divorcee. Some killings are hotblooded while in control of one’s emotions and others are coldblooded, calculatively done.
These and many more are often overlooked but should be addressed as they can’t just be seen as trivial matters.
Kabara, is a writer and public commentator. Her syndicated column, Voice, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Mondays.