In Nigeria, even Africa at large, there are several topics people shy away from; ranging from religion to culture and mental health anongst others. As a people, we tend to look at most things from a supernatural perspective (which we can’t really tell the truth from the farce). Today, we would be discussing a prevalent issue in our society that quite a lot of people are still ignorant of: mental health.
Mental disorder also called mental illness involves a wide range of conditions that affects mood, thinking and behaviour. Quite frankly, in most part of Nigeria, mental illnesses are attributed to a supernatural force. While we cannot tell how true or false this is, it is high time we start looking at it differently, maybe from a psychological perspective, and one way to do this is by creating massive awareness so people know what mental disorders really are. Here, we are going to look at a few of them (that are quite prevalent in our present society) from the most common to the least , their causes and symptoms. Read on.
The most common mental disorder is the Anxiety Disorder. It is heavily characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities. This is usually self-diagnosable. Symptoms include stress and inability to set aside worry and restlessness. Anxiety disorders can be in forms of panic attacks, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (excessive thoughts that lead to repetitive behaviours) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (failure to recover after experiencing a terrifying event).
Next is clinical depression. This invloves persistent depressed mood and loss of interests in activities, causing impairment in daily life. Possible causes could be a combination of biological, psychological, and social sources of distress. These may include changes in sleep, appetite, energy level, etc. Depression can also be associated with thoughts of suicide.
Another common disorder is the bipolar disorder. This is associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs. The exact cause of this is not really known but can be attributed to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Manic episodes include symptoms such as high energy, reduced need for sleep and loss of touch with reality while depressive lows include low energy and motivation, and loss of interest in daily activities.
Autism spectrum disorder is a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact, it impacts heavily on the nervous system. Common symptoms include difficulty with communication, social interactions, obsessive interests and repetitive behaviours. Early recognition, as well as behavioural, educational and family therapies may reduce symptom and support development and learning.
Lastly, the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition that includes attention difficulty, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. It often begins in childhood and can persist into adulthood. It may contribute to low self-esteem, troubled relationships and difficulty at school or work.
Mental health is super important and should be taken serious. It is safe to say that while there may not be a permanent cure for all the mental disorders, there are available treatments, drug therapies and various support systems to help people with disorders. More people need to be open about this discourse we need to give them room for expression without making them feel “not normal”. When noticed early, a lot can be done to help. In Nigeria, there are more support groups coming out, if you feel the need to reach out to them, please do.