Mental Health: Keeping the Eyes and Ears to Save the Brain

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.

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.

Advocacy in Mental Health Nursing

Over the last three decades, the needs and rights of persons with severe mental disorders have become more visible. Families and subsequently, consumers developed organizations enabling their voices to be heard. They were joined and supported by various non-governmental organizations, many mental health workers and their associations and some governments.

2020 MHDi Third Quarter Webinar - September 2020

Every September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. According to International Association for Suicide Prevention, suicide prevention remains a universal challenge. Every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for people of all ages.  It is responsible for over 800,000 deaths, which equates to one suicide every 40 seconds.

Mental Health Drive Initiative is hereby inviting you to her Third Quarter Webinar 2020 with the aim of synergising efforts in preventing the occurrence of suicide.

Topic: Suicide - Strategies to Curb its Occurrence

Date: Saturday, 26th September, 2020

Time: 10:00 hrs (GMT +1)

Guest Speaker: Mr. I. D. Owoeye (FWACN) (A mental health nurse educator)

To participate, kindly register via click here

Check the flier for more details...

Older Adults Coped With Pandemic Best, Study Reveals

Adults aged 60 and up have fared better emotionally compared to younger adults (18-39) and middle-aged adults (40-59) amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new UBC research published recently in the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences.

Based on daily diary data collected between mid-March and mid-April of this year, the researchers found that older adults experienced greater emotional well-being and felt less stressed and threatened by the pandemic.

Leadership and Management in Health Course 2020 - University of Washington

Mental Health Drive Initiative has been accepted to operate as a site in the online course: Leadership and Management in Health from the Department of Global Health eLearning Program at the University of Washington.

The course is scheduled to begin on 21 Sept., 2020 and end on 13 Dec., 2020.

Therapy Delivered Electronically More Effective Than Face to Face - McMaster University

Cognitive behavioural therapy delivered electronically to treat people with depression is more effective than face to face, suggests an evidence review led by McMaster University.

Based on randomized control trials, the systematic review and analysis revealed that cognitive behavioural therapy that connected therapists and patients through such modes as web-based applications, video-conferencing, email and texting, improved patients' symptoms better than face to face when measured using standardized mood symptoms scales. As well, there was no difference in the level of satisfaction or function between the two methods of delivery.