By Edu Abade
For Nigerians, especially the youth to successfully navigate the undercurrents of unemployment and economic strain in an increasingly challenging environment, the citizens have been advised to place more emphasis on their sanity, rather than overreach themselves with hustling for survival, as only sane minds can make decent and healthy living.
At a virtual meeting organized by the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) recently, Project Support Staff, Dominion Amupitan, who spoke on the theme: Combating Mental Health Issues, maintained that the subject matter was apt and timely, giving the rising cases of mental health cases in the country.
Amupitan, who spoke at the third edition of RDI’s youth and resilience series, echoed the sentiments of Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor, saying, “Mental health challenges have become one of most pressing but least discussed issues affecting the Nigerian youth. Nigeria is currently battling a mental health emergency. It affects how we think, feel and handle life’s challenges.”
Citing a World Health Organization (WHO) report which estimates that about 20 percent of Nigerians have mental health issues, the group lamented that the figure clearly indicates that roughly 40 million people suffer from mental illness such as Attention Deficit HyperActivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depression.
Also, the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) reported that only about 200 practicing psychiatrists serve a population of over 220 million, amounting to roughly the ratio of one psychiatrist to a million Nigerians, a situation which further puts severe strain on psychiatrists.
“As a youth living in Nigeria, you are faced with a unique combination of challenges ranging from unemployment to financial anxiety, as well as several societal expectations and quite frankly, these burdens are a lot to bear. Mental health conversations are often brushed aside due to misconceptions and lack of access to professionals. The hustle culture has made it easy to ignore emotional wellness in a quest for survival.
“RDI organized this discourse on confronting mental health issues as an interactive platform where the youth can learn and understand mental health challenges and response mechanisms. We believe that empowering the youth mentally is essential for their wellbeing and overall good of the nation as only mentally balanced and resilient youths can salvage the country,” she stated.
In what became a meaningful and engaging interaction, experts who dwelled on special topics to further understand the issues around mental health, stressed the need to strike a healthy balance between survival and sanity, insisting that the Nigerian youth must break the stigma by speaking up on time.
In her presentation on The Crisis: Nigeria’s Unspoken Mental Health Emergency, Dr. Chioma J. Okonkwo also hinted that between 20 percent and 30 percent of Nigerians (or one in five persons) suffer from one form of mental health disorder or the other.
She explained that the most prevalent disorders include depression (affecting approximately 3.9 percent of the population) and anxiety disorders (affecting 2.7 percent), adding that as much as between 80 percent and 90 percent of individuals with severe mental health are unable to access care.
Okonkwo further revealed that Nigeria has one of the highest caseloads of depression in Africa and has been ranked high globally for suicide frequency, with the rate reportedly doubling in recent years.
On the hidden reality of the Nigerian youth between survival and self discovery, she identified unemployment, unstable economy and increasing daily cost of living crisis and stress as the leading factors for the rising cases of mental health disorder.
Other factors are education systems that emphasize performance in place of wellbeing, families and faith spaces often downplaying mental distress as weakness, as well as a digital culture that magnifies social comparison and feelings of inadequacy.
Insisting that achieving a balance between survival and sanity is collective responsibility and assignment, she maintained that while the situation remains critical, the mental health support system remains inaccessible or unaffordable, just as economic pressure and social comparison silence amount to psychological strain.
Describing the survival instincts of the Nigerian youth as “a pressure cooker,” she pointed out that chronic exposure to stress activates the brain’s survival mode as a biological response designed for emergencies, not everyday life, adding that over time, this causes emotional exhaustion, poor focus and burnout.
“We call it the hustle, but biologically, it breeds sustained stress. The costs of survival over sanity include Chronic Stress (burnout, reduced creativity and focus, emotional numbness becomes “normal,” with maladaptive coping (substance abuse and withdrawal) coupled with loss of innovation and national productivity, as natural outcomes,” she said.
In her intervention, Dr. Mrs. Lola Moyoyinlola, whose presentation focused on Mental Well Being, explained that mental well-being, which is a state of emotional, psychological and social wellness, impacts how we think, feel and act and that it is essential for a fulfilling and balanced life, which is why people must prioritize self-care and seek support early when needed.
On understanding anxiety, she explained that anxiety is a natural response to stress, but it can become a problem when it becomes excessive or persistent with the common symptoms of worry, restlessness and fatigue.
Moyoyinola, who identified types of stress to include Eustress and Distress, admonished that lifestyle management helps to reduce anxiety symptoms and that those experiencing anxiety should seek professional help early for diagnosis and management.
She also gave an insight into the best way of tackling depression, noting that depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest, adding, “Warning signs include changes in appetite, sleep and energy levels. It affects both mental and physical health, while lifestyle interventions and professional support are crucial for recovery.”
While recommending an introduction to lifestyle medicine with a blend of healthy diets, constant exercise, restful sleep, avoiding toxic substances and general mental well being, she stressed that lifestyle medicine emphasizes the power of healthy habits in promoting overall well-being, especially mental health.
She added that lifestyle medicine focuses on a holistic approach, addresses root causes of illness and promotes preventive care through lifestyle changes.
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