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Mentally-Challenged People Lack Human Rights, Say WHO, Expert

By Joseph Okoghenun
10 October 2015   |   1:13 am
As Nigeria joined the world to observed World Mental Health yesterday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other mental health experts like the Medical Director of Pinnacle Medical Services, Dr. Maymunah Kadiri
PHOTO: www.youtube.com

PHOTO: www.youtube.com

As Nigeria joined the world to observed World Mental Health yesterday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other mental health experts like the Medical Director of Pinnacle Medical Services, Dr. Maymunah Kadiri, a consultant neuro-psychiatrist and psychotherapist, have said that people living with mental health conditions are being deprived of human rights.

In a statement released yesterday, WHO said: “Thousands of people with mental health conditions around the world are deprived of their human rights. They are not only discriminated against, stigmatised and marginalised but are also subjected to emotional and physical abuse in both mental health facilities and the community. Poor quality care due to a lack of qualified health professionals and dilapidated facilities lead to further violations.”

The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is “Dignity in mental health.”

Kadiri said although the incidence of mental health is high in Nigeria, those living with the condition are not often properly looked after. “One in four adults in Nigeria will experience mental health difficulties in his life time,” adding, “over 450 million people globally experience mental disorder each year.”

The mental health expert explained, “Despite the commonly repeated mantra of ‘no health without mental health,’ people with mental health difficulties continue to face challenges in obtaining the help that they require.”

The Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) listed “stigma and discrimination” as significant barriers to obtaining good mental health care. “People with mental health difficulties, their families, carers, governments, non-governmental organisations, professionals of all kinds and the associations that represent them would like all encounters to result in a positive dignity experience.

“To make dignity in mental health a reality requires every member of society to work together and make mental health visible, not something to be ashamed of,” Kadiri said, adding, “The voice of people with mental health difficulties needs to be heard.”

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