According to WHO, 1 in 8 people globally lives with a mental disorder. People with mental health disorders died, on average, 10 to 20 years before others. In 2019, nearly a billion people were living with at least one mental disorder. Anxiety and depression are the most commonly reported mental disorders. Nigeria has Africa’s highest caseload of depression, and ranks 15th in the world in the frequency of suicide. Sadly, there are less than 150 psychiatrists in this country of 200 million, and WHO estimates that fewer than 10 percent of mentally ill Nigerians have access to the care they need.
Spotlighting the importance of mental health, ARFH through the USAID funded ICHSSA-2 project hosted a 3-day intensive training on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for staff, partner CBOs and relevant Govt. line ministries across Lagos and Edo States. This capacity building initiative was aimed to empower the trainees to prioritize their mental health, acquire up-to-date knowledge and skills in providing optimal Mental Health and Psychosocial Support services to vulnerable project beneficiaries spread across different communities.
In his welcome address, the Chief of Party, ICHSSA-2 project, Dr. Felix Iwuala noted that the ICHSSA-2 project is aimed at mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on Orphans and Vulnerable Children and their Caregivers. He harped on the critical role of mental health and psychosocial support in improving health outcomes and productivity of Children, Adolescents and Caregivers made vulnerable by HIV.
The 3-day training featured seasoned facilitators as Dr. Ayokanmi Mobereade, Dr. Stellamarris Moronkeji, Mrs Esther Brodrick-Shehu and Mr. Elijah Idoko who took sessions on mental health signs identification, mental health screening and referrals, concepts of mental health, risk factors, self-care, basic counselling skills, ethical considerations, referral pathways, communication in mental health, MHPSS screening tool and checklists among others.
ARFH will continue to ensure access to comprehensive mental health and psychosocial support services for All, using evidenced-based approaches, tools and capacity building.
#ARFH #USAID #OVC #MentalHealth #PSS
Written by Gbadegesin Alawode, Knowledge Management and Communiations Officer, ICHSSA-2 project
