Dear colleagues, there is no Nigerian who will hear or watch the gory incidences of black Tuesday, 20th October, 2020 at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos and will not feel disturbed. Whoever is indifferent to such a gruesome murder is not human.
Mental Health: Keeping the Eyes and Ears to Save the Brain
A network of mental health professionals and other professionals within and outside the healthcare field with interest in mental health, where ideas and efforts are harnessed to promote mental health.
WMHD2020 – Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access
Today is World Mental Health Day. It is a day observed on 10th October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. The theme for this year’s celebration is Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access. The goal of this year’s World Mental Health Day campaign is to increased investment in mental health.
According to the World Health Organisation, this year’s World Mental Health Day came at a time when our daily lives have changed considerably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The past months have brought many challenges: for health-care workers who provides care in difficult circumstances, with the fear of contracting the virus; for students who have had to adapt to taking classes from home, with little contact with teachers and friends, and who are anxious about their futures; for workers whose livelihoods are threatened; for the vast number of people caught in poverty or in fragile humanitarian settings with extremely limited protection from COVID-19; and for people with mental health conditions, many experiencing even greater social isolation than before; and the grief of losing a loved one, sometimes without being able to say goodbye.
According to a new WHO survey, the current COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or stopped critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide while the demand for mental health is increasing. The survey showed the devastating impact of COVID-19 on access to mental health services and underscores the urgent need for increased funding. The pandemic has had different impacts on many, ranging from psychological, social and economic impacts such as loss of income, isolation, fear and anxiety, bereavement, etc. Some of these impacts are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. This is increasing the demand for mental health services.
This is an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. It is expected that the need for mental health and psychosocial support will substantially increase in the coming months and years. Investment in mental health programmes at the local, national and international levels, which have already suffered from years of chronic underfunding, is now more important than it has ever been, with countries spending less than 2 per cent of their national health budgets on mental health, and struggling to meet their populations’ needs.
Leaders are to make sure they move fast and start making decisions to invest more in life-saving mental health programmes ̶ during the pandemic and beyond. Mental health needs increased investment. WHO has issued guidance to countries on how to maintain essential services, including mental health services ̶ during COVID-19 and recommends that countries allocate resources to mental health as an integral component of their response and recovery plans. International funders are also advise to do more in investing in mental health.
A network of mental health professionals and other professionals within and outside the healthcare field with interest in mental health, where ideas and efforts are harnessed to promote mental health.
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