Janet Ogundepo As the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, is commemorated on Wednesday, June 26, the President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, Professor Taiwo Obindo, has called for adequate awareness and education on drug abuse to begin at the primary school level, to prevent early exposure to substance use. He warned that early drug use significantly affects the brain, making treatment more challenging. The psychiatrists said prevention was important given that substance use affects the user’s brain and over 80 per cent of people needing mental healthcare in Nigeria are unable to access it due to rising costs.
In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, Obindo also called for constant awareness drives and the education of young children on the dangers of illicit substance use. “Prevention is much better than cure,” he asserted, noting that early intervention was important to prevent drug use addiction and disorder as well as to mitigate future mental health crises. The 2024 theme for the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is, ‘The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention’ and it is targeted at strengthening action and cooperation to achieve a drug abuse-free world.
According to the World Health Organisation, 970 million people globally lived with a mental disorder in 2019, with anxiety and depression being the most common. The National Institute of Mental Health also notes that substance use d.
