The President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), Prof. Taiwo Obindo, revealed that over 60 million Nigerians suffer from mental illnesses.
Obindo explained:
“Mental healthcare is in a sorry state given that we have more than 60 million Nigerians suffering from various mental illnesses and the fact that only about 10 per cent of them were able to access appropriate care.
“We are left with more than 90 percent who are unable to access care and this group is called the treatment gap for mental illnesses.”
He noted that the gap was a result of various factors like the knowledge gap in which people do not have appropriate information about the causes and treatment for mental illnesses.
Obindo posited that some factors hindering the management of mental illness in Nigeria included myths and traditional beliefs; inadequate mental health facilities and a number of mental health professionals.
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