The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria says that passing and signing the National Mental Health Bill into law will help reposition the mental health sub-sector to meet emerging modern challenges.

The President of the Association, Dr Taiwo Sheikh, who said this while speaking with newsmen in Enugu on Sunday noted that the bill “will also enhance the mental health and wellbeing of all Nigerians.”

Sheikh was speaking after the inaugural meeting of the newly returned executive of the association held at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu.

He said that the bill, which had passed its first and second reading, was at the public hearing stage at the National Assembly.

He said that it would grant the human rights of mental patients and ensure that they have access to qualitative care in all mental health or psychiatric facilities.

“It is supposed to guaranty the human rights and properties of people who are mentally ill and ensure they have access to effective, humane and culturally sensitise treatments.

“It will task government on the funding for mental health and ensure that certain percentages of the National Health Fund should be dedicated to mental health.

“It will also task government on training of mental health professionals of different cadre such as mental health consultants, doctors, nurses, community healthcare providers as well as psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists. It is inside it.

“It will also task government on the ratio of recruitment of mental health workers at every government-owned facility.

“It will task government in integrating mental health to the Primary Healthcare system and other grassroots healthcare programmes,” he said.

He also said that as an association, the psychiatrists have resolved to strengthen its advocacy and push to get the bill signed into law for the benefit of Nigerians and to reposition the mental health sub-sector to meet emerging challenges.

He explained that the existing law backing mental health and its practice in the country had been outdated.

“The 1914 Lunacy Law copied from the English Laws was still the main basis of mental health and psychiatric practice in the country, which is abnormal, regressive and not all-compassing by modern terms,” he explained.

Sheikh, who is with Department of Psychiatry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, however, called for the implementation of Nigeria National Mental Healthcare Policy, which was adopted by the Federal Government in 2013.

He noted that the policy seeks to go beyond treatment or cure of mental health patients to activities and peogrammes of mental wellbeing promotions, mental illness prevention and universal access to mental healthcare.

According to him, all these three focal areas are the modern and best practice line of thinking in the medical world.

“Mental wellbeing promotion is having activities and programmes that will address issues of your personal aspiration and how you pursue it; your daily life environmental equilibrium and personal positive contribution to the growth of the society.

“Mental illness prevention is having activities and programmes meant to inform people of the signs and symptoms to watch out for and report to their doctor immediately, if need be.

“It can be sleeplessness at night, over indulgence on drug abuse and alcoholism, depression and constant negative thoughts etc,” he said.

Experts observe that abnormalities that lead to mental illness are expanding daily within the society.

These included suicide attempts, depression, sleeplessness, unnecessary aggressions and agitations, inordinate quests or aspirations that hurt oneself or others and unnecessary attack on the environment and animals.