Mentally ill people have great potentials, talents – Majek Fashek
Mentally ill people have great potentials, talents – Majek Fashek
Lagos – Popular reggae artist, Majek Fashek, says mental health is
very important in the lives of people and a nation and mentally ill
people have great potentials and talents.
Fashek spoke at the 46th Annual General Conference and Scientific
Meeting of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) in Lagos on
Wednesday.
*Majek
Fashek said, “mental health is not a yardstick to look down upon people.
“There is need to create a system to manage or rehabilitate people
who are not mentally balanced and as well create more awareness on
mental health challenges and appropriate management.
“Government should look into how to rehabilitate mental health
patients as most of them have great potentials and talents’’, Fashek
said.
Dr Richard Adebayo, the Acting Medical Director, Federal
Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, said mental health Act was necessary in
the country.
Adebayo, added that mental health was integral to the stability of any nation.
“Most of the burning issues confronting us as a nation, such as
insecurity, economic crisis, just to mention a few, have grave mental
health concerns.
“The health impact is often unquantifiable; and we know there is no health without mental health.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a workable and realistic policy
direction, no mental health Act to guide us and protect the rights of
our patients.
“It is critical to deliberate on vital issues that will promote the
very change we desire and enlighten our policy makers that mental health
is very crucial in our collective drive towards the positive change’’,
Adebayo said.
He added that lots of people were well dressed, “but mentally, they are not okay.
“Consequently, to kick-start our security system, economy and general life as a nation, good mental health is very crucial.
“It will also help practitioners to guide their practice, help our
people to be rehabilitated and not to be abandoned’’, Adebayo said.
Prof. Joseph Adeyemi, President of APN, said the conference will draw experience from globalisation.
Theme of the conference is: “Mental Health as a Driver for Positive Change.’’
