Nigeria currently has about 150 psychiatrists to cater to the mental health needs of over 200 million people, even as mental health experts have called for the need to leverage on technology to bridge the gap. Mental health experts made the call at a programme organised by Greyhub to commemorate the 2024 Mental Health Awareness Month in Lagos. The chief executive officer of GreyHub Therapeutic Centre, Dr Olusola Olowookere, asserted that the ration of mental health experts to the population of country had denied many Nigerians the opportunity to have quick and easy access to mental care.
“Statistics shows that one in every four person will experience one form of mental health issue, either diagnose or undiagnose problem. In Nigeria we have about 150 psychiatrics to over 200milion people and that is why people don’t have quick and easy access to care,” he revealed. He called for the need for the few psychiatrists in the country to leverage technology to enable more patients to have wider access to healthcare.
“With technology, patients can complete few sections online and can be screen for common mental health problem by talking to a certified therapist or psychologist online,” he recommended. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma surrounding behavioral health issues, as well as highlighting the ways how mental illness and addiction can affect patients, providers, families, and the society at large. Speaking on the i.
