Happy new year? You will ask.Well it is better late than never!
It is a new year,a new beginning and a time for new possibilities.
For the fact that my internet connection had been having problem for some time,and coupled with the festivity period,my birthday and Ist wedding anniversary in January,short pay in the implimentation of a new salary structure(CONTISS)which led to a drastic drop in my morale generally;I was not able to publish any post since Dec 4th,2007.
However,it is a new year,a new dawn and a time to shake away all lethargy,lukewarmness and break out like a new day.
There are a couple of activities that are likely to take place this year,both on a personal level for me and at the level of the stakeholders in the management of Mental health generally in Nigeria.As much as possible I will not relent in my effort to educate on mental health and advocate for mental health on this blog.One only hope that the efforts made by few individuals towards improving mental health awareness and to improve that overall level of mental health care can receive a boost by the appropriate authorities who should ochestrate a concerted effort to advance the cause.
Further more,one hopes that the mental health bill will be passed into law by the national assembly so that some of the old unpracticable laws will be changed into something more practicable and humane for the benefit of the mentally ill.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
World Disability Day;The mental health perspective.
Yesterday was the world Disability day,officially known as the International day for Disabled persons.It was set aside by the United Nations to promote awareness about the plight of disabled persons with the aim of improving their quality of life.
Disability has been described as any restriction or lack(resulting from an impairment)of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for an individual in his/her sociocultural setting.Impairment on the other hand is any loss or abnormality that of psychological,physiological or anatomical sructure or function,while an handicap is a disadvantage for a given individual,resulting from an impairment or a disability,that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal(depending on age,sex and social and culural factors)for that individual.
From the foregoing,it is obvious that mentally illness leaves a lot of people with with impairments,disabilities and handicaps.It will therefore be a great mistake to just focus on on anatomical or even physiological impairment and resulting disability or handicap without given much attention to psychologigal ones.
In the area of mental health,most expecially when using the ICD-10 multiaxial system,the specific areas of functioning that are covered include;Personal care,occupation,family and household,functioning in a broader social context.
Let us expatiate a little on each one.
1.In the area of personal care,the following should be considered in the rating of disbility;
i)the person's activities concerned with the maintenance of personal hygiene and physical health(e.g washing,shaving,keeping clothes clean etc)
ii)eating habits(e.g regular meals,weight loss or gain etc)
iii)the person's maintenance of personal belongings and living space.
2.Occupation,refering to expected functioning in paid activities,studying,home-making,etc.
i)the person's conformity to the work discipline,
ii)the quality of his/her performance at work,
iii)his/her motivation in maintaining the occupational role.
3.Family and household;i.e participation in family life.
a.marital role
i)the person's communication with his/her spouse
ii)ability to show affection,
iii)the extent to which the person is felt by the spouse to be a source of support.
b.parental role
i)the basic tasks and activities undertaken by the person to ensure the health and security of the children,
ii)the closeness of their relationship and the depth of affection for and interest shown in the children's well-being and future,
iii)any abuse of the parental role or possibility of adverse effect on the children.
c.participation in household activities
i)the functions and duties of the person in maintaining the family as a viable social group;
ii)the manner in which the person carries out his/her roles in the family(e.g spouse father/mother,child)
4.Functioning in a broader social context;i.e in relation to community members,performance in leisure activities and other social activities.
i)response to the questions,requests and demands of people outside the household;
ii)readiness for coexistence on an 'impersonal' level(e.g colleagues,poeple in the bus or shops,etc)
iii)the person's manner with people outside the household whom he/she dislikes;
iv)the qulity and amount of contact with friends and non-household members;
v)the person's engagement in leisure activities outside the household.
From the above,it is clear that the extent of disability suffered by mentally ill individual could be enormous and it cuts across all the different facets of their lives.Efforts must be made therefore,to improve their quality of life and ensure that they are not neglected in the scheme of things.
Below are links of some WHO documents on disability.
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA58/WHA58_23-en.pdf
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA58/A58_17-en.pdf
Disability has been described as any restriction or lack(resulting from an impairment)of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for an individual in his/her sociocultural setting.Impairment on the other hand is any loss or abnormality that of psychological,physiological or anatomical sructure or function,while an handicap is a disadvantage for a given individual,resulting from an impairment or a disability,that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal(depending on age,sex and social and culural factors)for that individual.
From the foregoing,it is obvious that mentally illness leaves a lot of people with with impairments,disabilities and handicaps.It will therefore be a great mistake to just focus on on anatomical or even physiological impairment and resulting disability or handicap without given much attention to psychologigal ones.
In the area of mental health,most expecially when using the ICD-10 multiaxial system,the specific areas of functioning that are covered include;Personal care,occupation,family and household,functioning in a broader social context.
Let us expatiate a little on each one.
1.In the area of personal care,the following should be considered in the rating of disbility;
i)the person's activities concerned with the maintenance of personal hygiene and physical health(e.g washing,shaving,keeping clothes clean etc)
ii)eating habits(e.g regular meals,weight loss or gain etc)
iii)the person's maintenance of personal belongings and living space.
2.Occupation,refering to expected functioning in paid activities,studying,home-making,etc.
i)the person's conformity to the work discipline,
ii)the quality of his/her performance at work,
iii)his/her motivation in maintaining the occupational role.
3.Family and household;i.e participation in family life.
a.marital role
i)the person's communication with his/her spouse
ii)ability to show affection,
iii)the extent to which the person is felt by the spouse to be a source of support.
b.parental role
i)the basic tasks and activities undertaken by the person to ensure the health and security of the children,
ii)the closeness of their relationship and the depth of affection for and interest shown in the children's well-being and future,
iii)any abuse of the parental role or possibility of adverse effect on the children.
c.participation in household activities
i)the functions and duties of the person in maintaining the family as a viable social group;
ii)the manner in which the person carries out his/her roles in the family(e.g spouse father/mother,child)
4.Functioning in a broader social context;i.e in relation to community members,performance in leisure activities and other social activities.
i)response to the questions,requests and demands of people outside the household;
ii)readiness for coexistence on an 'impersonal' level(e.g colleagues,poeple in the bus or shops,etc)
iii)the person's manner with people outside the household whom he/she dislikes;
iv)the qulity and amount of contact with friends and non-household members;
v)the person's engagement in leisure activities outside the household.
From the above,it is clear that the extent of disability suffered by mentally ill individual could be enormous and it cuts across all the different facets of their lives.Efforts must be made therefore,to improve their quality of life and ensure that they are not neglected in the scheme of things.
Below are links of some WHO documents on disability.
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA58/WHA58_23-en.pdf
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA58/A58_17-en.pdf
Thursday, November 29, 2007
APN 38th Annual Scientific And General Meeting;Organization of Mental Health Services in Nigeria
The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria(APN)held her 38th Annual Scientific And General Meeting recently at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital(LASUTH) with the above theme.The meeting was graced by seasoned Psychiatrists in Nigeria.It was another time more or less, to take stock of the state of affairs as it affects Psychiatric services and practice in Nigeria.
The Chief Medical Director of the host hospital, Dr Femi Olugbile delivered a paper with the theme as the topic i.e 'Organization of Mental Health Services in Nigeria.In his lecture,he commented on the need to boost the knowledge and skills of General practioners and family physicians as an important and first step towards bringing appropriate and effective treatment closer to Ngerian on Psychiatric problems.He further advocated the grouping of Mental illnesses as special category of sickness with a bid to facilitate the provision of free treatment for these category of patients.
Other very important highlights of his lecture include the fact that 1 in 5 roadside destitutes in Nigeria is due to psychosis or drug abuse.Furthermore,he shed light on the fact that the global burden of mental illnesses is such that it is near the top of list of global burden of diseases.Depression particularly causes more Disability Adjusted Life Years(DALYs) than most other illnesses known to man.He further declared that only 1 in 100 of Nigerians needing Psychiatric treatment seek for it in Nigeria.This is a feeler of the extent of awareness of mental illnesses and availability of Psychiatric services in Nigeria.Finally,it was pointed out that though psychotic cases tend to be very dramatic,the vaste majority of psychiatric cases tend to be subtle and invisible or unnoticeable.
It is hoped that the knowledge gained in this meeting is not going to be just for the sake of it,but is going to translate into the much needed education of the general populace about mental illnesses,as well as the organization of strong mental health advocacy groups.
The Chief Medical Director of the host hospital, Dr Femi Olugbile delivered a paper with the theme as the topic i.e 'Organization of Mental Health Services in Nigeria.In his lecture,he commented on the need to boost the knowledge and skills of General practioners and family physicians as an important and first step towards bringing appropriate and effective treatment closer to Ngerian on Psychiatric problems.He further advocated the grouping of Mental illnesses as special category of sickness with a bid to facilitate the provision of free treatment for these category of patients.
Other very important highlights of his lecture include the fact that 1 in 5 roadside destitutes in Nigeria is due to psychosis or drug abuse.Furthermore,he shed light on the fact that the global burden of mental illnesses is such that it is near the top of list of global burden of diseases.Depression particularly causes more Disability Adjusted Life Years(DALYs) than most other illnesses known to man.He further declared that only 1 in 100 of Nigerians needing Psychiatric treatment seek for it in Nigeria.This is a feeler of the extent of awareness of mental illnesses and availability of Psychiatric services in Nigeria.Finally,it was pointed out that though psychotic cases tend to be very dramatic,the vaste majority of psychiatric cases tend to be subtle and invisible or unnoticeable.
It is hoped that the knowledge gained in this meeting is not going to be just for the sake of it,but is going to translate into the much needed education of the general populace about mental illnesses,as well as the organization of strong mental health advocacy groups.
Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Home;an update.
I had earlier posted that the government of Plateau state is closing down the above named centre.I also asked what will happen to those patients in the place after the closure.Well the good news is that the state government is making effort to ensure that there is a ward for these folks at the Vom Christian Hospital where they are going to be managed for a period of about three months with all expenses of managing them being borne by the state government.It is hoped that by the end of this period,a good number of them would have made remarkable improvement as to be able to recollect their homes and relatives and effort will then be made to reunite them with their people.
You must agree with me that this is really nice on the part of the government.It shows a lot of commitment to service and the overall well-being and health of the people.However,after the expertion of these three month period,what happens.Although I have never been to the Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Home,but I believe(from what I heard about the story of that place)that it could still be put at better use by the government if only they will re-organize the place and run it in collaboration with the department of Psychiatry,Jos University Teaching Hospital.Surely the state government can also help in that regard to boost up Mental Health facilities and services present in the state given the overstretched nature of the facilities in JUTH.
So,while I commend the government of Plateau state for this decision in the short term,I am appealing for a long term decision of establishing a Rehabilitation Centre in the State and further boost up Psychiatry facilites in the state.
You must agree with me that this is really nice on the part of the government.It shows a lot of commitment to service and the overall well-being and health of the people.However,after the expertion of these three month period,what happens.Although I have never been to the Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Home,but I believe(from what I heard about the story of that place)that it could still be put at better use by the government if only they will re-organize the place and run it in collaboration with the department of Psychiatry,Jos University Teaching Hospital.Surely the state government can also help in that regard to boost up Mental Health facilities and services present in the state given the overstretched nature of the facilities in JUTH.
So,while I commend the government of Plateau state for this decision in the short term,I am appealing for a long term decision of establishing a Rehabilitation Centre in the State and further boost up Psychiatry facilites in the state.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
In support of the movement:The Fight Against Child Abuse.
I came across this blog entry recently and I could not just pass bye.I really wonder why someone would do such a thing?May God help us against such crimes against humanity.Please read on and lend support to the cause.
In our times of darkness, children are the ones who will brighten us up. No matter what ordeals we have to endure in our daily lives, we know that we can overcome them the moment we set eyes on children. Their innocence and purity in them will always give us a sense of peacefulness and calm that is beyond words. And it goes without saying that life would be meaningless without seeing them smile, hearing them laugh and cry, and feeling their small and flawlessly gentle hands that want to reach out to us.
Yet, there are some who show no empathy and sensitivity towards these beautiful souls. Worse still, they would dunk themselves into physical violence and cruelty towards the children without even thinking twice. Such acts can deem someone to be worse than an animal, because even an animal has compassion and love for its young.
What is going on with this world? Why must such horrid acts be carried out? Why do these people ever exist in this world?
Please take this time to read this special message from us, and show your utmost support and sympathy towards the family of the late Nurin Jazlin, who passed away tragically and brutally at the age of only eight. Little Nurin Jazlin’s body was discovered in a gym bag on 17th September, one month after she was abducted. Upon the discovery, she was seen to be in the most horrifying state ever. Her hair was short and curled up, when it was originally straight and long. Her body was pale and badly bruised from head to toe, and there were traces of foreign objects like brinjal and cucumber found in the virginal area of her body.
Parents of the deceased took a long time to acknowledge her death, but eventually did after all the thorough DNA tests had been carried out by the forensics department. Her body was finally buried on 21st September. Her father, Jazimin Abdul Jalil, had expressed his sorrow towards this tragedy, stating that whoever who caused her death was not a human being, but rather, an animal.
This was the result of an outrage of modesty (See Picture On The Right) caused by a man of age between 35 and 40, who was thought to be someone who enjoyed torturing people, particularly children. Along with him was a 23-year-old lady, who was apparently his partner in crime. The lady had been found and called for questioning by the Malaysian authorities, whereas the man has yet to be found. Hence, we are urging all of you here to play your part in finding this serial killer cum sexual offender and ensuring that justice is served to the deceased and her family.
If you know of the culprits’ whereabouts, keep us informed immediately, or directly inform her uncle, Jasni Abdul Jalil, via his blog, which he had specially created as a form of dedication to her.
Over the years, we have heard of children’s lives being taken away due to the evil doings of heartless adults. Nurin’s death was one of the most gruesome and tragic deaths that made many of us shocked, despaired and furious. Do you want more children to die in the hands of these sadistic people? Do you still wish to hear such saddening news of child abuse?Then let us do our part right away! Together we can make this world a better place for the little ones. Let us all join hand in hand and put a stop to such cruelty towards them once and for all! Fight against child abuse today.We have created a logo to show our support towards the fight against child abuse. If you would like to join in this movement, please copy and paste this article in your site and place the logo. After displaying this article, leave us a comment and we will add your link in our list of bloggers who have voluntarily helped us in this movement.
You can read the full article on the link below:
NAFASG©™: The Fight Against Child Abuse: A Tribute To The Late Nurin Jazlin (1999 to 2007): "The Fight Against Child Abuse: A Tribute To The Late Nurin Jazlin (1999 to 2007)"
In our times of darkness, children are the ones who will brighten us up. No matter what ordeals we have to endure in our daily lives, we know that we can overcome them the moment we set eyes on children. Their innocence and purity in them will always give us a sense of peacefulness and calm that is beyond words. And it goes without saying that life would be meaningless without seeing them smile, hearing them laugh and cry, and feeling their small and flawlessly gentle hands that want to reach out to us.
Yet, there are some who show no empathy and sensitivity towards these beautiful souls. Worse still, they would dunk themselves into physical violence and cruelty towards the children without even thinking twice. Such acts can deem someone to be worse than an animal, because even an animal has compassion and love for its young.
What is going on with this world? Why must such horrid acts be carried out? Why do these people ever exist in this world?
Please take this time to read this special message from us, and show your utmost support and sympathy towards the family of the late Nurin Jazlin, who passed away tragically and brutally at the age of only eight. Little Nurin Jazlin’s body was discovered in a gym bag on 17th September, one month after she was abducted. Upon the discovery, she was seen to be in the most horrifying state ever. Her hair was short and curled up, when it was originally straight and long. Her body was pale and badly bruised from head to toe, and there were traces of foreign objects like brinjal and cucumber found in the virginal area of her body.
Parents of the deceased took a long time to acknowledge her death, but eventually did after all the thorough DNA tests had been carried out by the forensics department. Her body was finally buried on 21st September. Her father, Jazimin Abdul Jalil, had expressed his sorrow towards this tragedy, stating that whoever who caused her death was not a human being, but rather, an animal.
This was the result of an outrage of modesty (See Picture On The Right) caused by a man of age between 35 and 40, who was thought to be someone who enjoyed torturing people, particularly children. Along with him was a 23-year-old lady, who was apparently his partner in crime. The lady had been found and called for questioning by the Malaysian authorities, whereas the man has yet to be found. Hence, we are urging all of you here to play your part in finding this serial killer cum sexual offender and ensuring that justice is served to the deceased and her family.
If you know of the culprits’ whereabouts, keep us informed immediately, or directly inform her uncle, Jasni Abdul Jalil, via his blog, which he had specially created as a form of dedication to her.
Over the years, we have heard of children’s lives being taken away due to the evil doings of heartless adults. Nurin’s death was one of the most gruesome and tragic deaths that made many of us shocked, despaired and furious. Do you want more children to die in the hands of these sadistic people? Do you still wish to hear such saddening news of child abuse?Then let us do our part right away! Together we can make this world a better place for the little ones. Let us all join hand in hand and put a stop to such cruelty towards them once and for all! Fight against child abuse today.We have created a logo to show our support towards the fight against child abuse. If you would like to join in this movement, please copy and paste this article in your site and place the logo. After displaying this article, leave us a comment and we will add your link in our list of bloggers who have voluntarily helped us in this movement.
You can read the full article on the link below:
NAFASG©™: The Fight Against Child Abuse: A Tribute To The Late Nurin Jazlin (1999 to 2007): "The Fight Against Child Abuse: A Tribute To The Late Nurin Jazlin (1999 to 2007)"
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