NGO calls for inclusion of mental health education in schools

A non-governmental organisation, Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative, has called for the inclusion of mental health in primary and secondary school curricula, as part of efforts to increase mental health awareness among adolescents.

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A public health physician at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr Toriola Femi-Adebayo, said at a programme, organised by YEDI in collaboration with Grassroot Soccer to mark the 2023 World Mental Health Day,  that the inclusion had become crucial, citing challenges faced by young people in the country.

The NGO noted that including mental health in the school curriculum, will help young people to become aware of mental health conditions early through awareness creation and know how to recognise signs of mental health problems and when to seek help.

He explained, “Young people are facing a lot of challenges right now and in the country, everybody is facing stress and young people are peculiar.

“They are developing, they are in the process of growing from being dependent on their parents to being independent. So, they have a lot of stressors, emotional, physical and all that and they want to be like their friends.

“There are lots of challenges young people are facing, so their mental health is key. We must take care of their mental health and they must have people they can talk to concerning the challenges.

“About 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population is young people. It is made up of people under 25 years old. So, that is a large population to harness.

“So, including mental health in the curriculum for young people will have a great impact, so that they can identify mental health problems and call for help.”

Femi-Adebayo stated that building life skills in children and adolescents and providing them with psychosocial support can also help to promote good mental health.

Targeted intervention programmes for friends and families to increase mental health awareness and strengthen ties between adolescents and their families are also important.

“These programmes should also target teachers and school counsellors who work with adolescents and young people.

“Also, increasing mental health literacy about depression can increase help-seeking behaviours, and reduce the delay between the first signs and symptoms and seeking help from a professional is important,” the physician added.

According to the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, more than 60 million Nigerians are suffering from mental illnesses with only about 10 per cent of them able to access appropriate care.

YEDI’s Executive Director, Adeoye Oluwatomisin, said that based on the staggering number of adolescents battling with mental illness, it was important to include mental health in the curriculum.

Research has shown that one out of six adolescents suffer from mental health. Young people struggle with depression, and anxiety and the awareness around it is very low, especially in Nigeria. And they don’t get the necessary support because they don’t have a clear understanding of mental health.

“We are here to create awareness around it and include it in the curriculum to meet the needs of young people in Nigeria.

“We are here in partnership with Grassroot Soccer, which is our technical partner and they are supporting the inclusion of mental health into the Skillz curriculum that we use.

“The inclusion is from primary to secondary school. What we are doing is creating awareness around mental health.”

A mental health specialist at Grassroot Soccer, Charmaine Natasha Nyakonda, in her presentation said it was imperative to involve adolescents early in discussions that revolve around them.

“Society needs to normalise discussing mental health conditions, challenges and negative emotions.”

The World Health Organisation says mental health is a basic human right for all people while stressing the need to raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.