The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) has raised alarm over the country’s critical shortage of mental health professionals, revealing that fewer than 200 psychiatrists are available to serve Nigeria’s population of over 200 million people.
This was disclosed by APN President, Prof. Taiwo Obindo, during the 55th annual general conference and scientific meeting held in Ilorin, where he described the situation as a pressing challenge requiring urgent government intervention.
The conference has as its theme: “Prioritizing Mental Health Needs of Nigeria in a Depressed Economy: An Urgent Call for Integrated, Comprehensive and Sustainable Interventions”.
rof. Obindo attributed the worsening mental health crisis to the “Japa syndrome,” this phenomenon, he said, has greatly depleted the number of mental health Practitioners in the country.
“The remaining professionals are overworked and poorly remunerated,” Obindo lamented, emphasizing that these tides need to be stemmed and reversed to retain mental health practitioners.
Government neglect and budgetary constraints
Obindo stated that mental health is yet to be accorded the needed attention by the government, contrasting it with Canada, which had a functional Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions.
”Nigeria needs to lay emphasis and importance on mental health. Mental health in the country is still a programme under the Department of Public Health in the Federal Ministry of Health,” he noted.
He also highlighted the inadequacy of health budget allocations, “One other area needing attention is the budgetary allocation to health, and by extension, mental health, stand at less than six per cent.
“This falls short of the Abuja Declaration of 2001, where health allocation was to be pegged at a minimum of 15 percent of every country’s annual budget,” Obindo stated.
The APN president said the association had achieved some milestones in the establishment of Mental Health Programme .
He called for the implementation of the Mental Health Act of 2021, which replaced the Lunacy Act of 1958 as a significant milestone after more than 30 years of failed efforts.
However, he stressed the need for its full implementation to address the systemic challenges plaguing mental healthcare delivery.
Prevalence of mental illness and cultural barriers
Also, speaking in his lecture, Prof. Owoidoho Udofia of the University of Calabar said a study revealed that 12 percent of Nigerians suffer from mental and behavioural disorders.
He attributed the poor identification of mental illness among some medical practitioners to specific shortcomings in their approach.
Udofia further pointed out that cultural factors and misconceptions contribute to the underdiagnosis of mental illnesses. “Certain presence of culture-specific somatic symptoms, significantly lowered identification rate of mental illness by General practitioners in teaching hospitals,” he explained.
The Consultant Psychiatrist also refuted colonial-era assumptions that Africans were not sophisticated enough to have depression.
He explained that mental illness makes up less than 30 per cent of the burden in teaching hospitals in Nigeria.
“The illness is not limited to conditions like schizophrenia and psychosis. Substance abuse is prevalent, highlighting the need for better diagnostic practices,” Udofia emphasized.
He also called for improvements in identification and research efforts to address the gaps in mental health care.
