by Eromose Ileso
 | |
| photo credit: leadership.ng |
To Most Nigerians, depression is a ‘white man’s sickness, because
the death attributed to it is always in the public domain.
To them, they can’t
understand why a person living a 'comfortable' life should be depressed.
When popular personalities like Robin Williams commits suicide as a result of
depression, and other personalities that have died from overdose of
anti-depressant coupled with the fact that news of these death are splashed in
the media, it further gives credence to the wrong view that it is a white man’s
sickness. It is easy to see why many here see depression as a white man’s
sickness. Often, you seldom get to see any physical symptoms associated with it
and most people that suffer from it are often well of. Although, there are
exceptions as there are persons who are struggling in all indices of life that
are suffering from the ailment.
However, this widely held notion that depression is a white
man’s sickness has been negated by the rise in cases of suicides related to
depression. There was a case recounted by a radio personality in Lagos, of a man
who had no debts, had a good job, but over a period of time, he withdrew from
his friends, and became a recluse. He complained that he was depressed to
several persons, but what they advised for him was that he needed prayers. He sent
his wife on an errant one evening, and before she returned, he committed
suicide.
Nigerians see depression as a ‘spiritual problem’ in local
parlance, dem dey wori am, some would say. Because, they cannot understand why
a person that has no physical problem that is visible to the eye, would
suddenly start experiencing mental disorder. It is this belief that has led to
calls for more prayers for persons who are suffering from depression rather
than a visit to see a therapist.
A 23 year old lady known to this writer had bouts of
depression in 2014 and 2015. She went on Facebook to post suicidal thoughts,
for which she was severely criticised by family and friends. Nobody could
decipher what was wrong with her, until somebody drew the attention of her
parents that she was depressed.
At first it sounded strange as nobody saw it
that way. While the mantra of prayers was adopted initially. She ended up seeing
a psychiatrist at the Neuro-Psychistrist Hospital, Uselu, Benin City. It was
there they gave her some drugs. She would often complain to me at the time,
that the medications made her to sleep a lot. However, she became much better,
and eventually came out of it. Today, she is a student studying Biochemistry at
the University.
There are persons who have had training in the field of
psychiatry who can quickly point to the fact that something is wrong with a
person. A Consultant Psychiatrist Nurse who retired from the University of
Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) mentioned how she noticed the display of a
person who had never behaved in such a way having known that person for over 40
years. She was able to notice it because of her training. It was she who called
the attention of the person’s family, and drugs was administered, and that
person subsequently improved.
I was with the resident pastor of the local church I worship in
2013; I went there to see him about somebody who had reported me to
him. After several minutes of saying how this particular person behaves, he
concluded that the person was depressed. He went further to give an instance of
a woman he knew that was well off financially and happily married, but
committed suicide, because she was suffering from depression. Her swashbuckling
life was just a façade that covered her inner ailment.
Nigerians often see a visit to the psychiatric hospital as
something that is laced with stigma. Whenever there is mention of a visit to
see a psychiatrist, there is a wrong impression that it has to do with
insanity. There is nowhere, where it is asserted that depression is insanity. This
is another reason why many don’t like talking about depression, and more,
because treatment for it would make a person to see a clinical psychiatrist. To
the society, any person that has an appointment with a psychiatrist is not
normal.
According to the World
Health Organisation (WHO)
·
Depression
is a common mental disorder.
· More women are affected by it than men.
· At its worst, depression can lead to suicide.
·
Depression
is different from usual mood fluctuations and short lived emotional responses
to challenges in everyday life.
·
It
can cause the affected person to suffer greatly and function poorly at work, at
school and in the family.
·
Barriers
to effective care include a lack of resources, lack of trained health care
providers, and social stigma associated with mental health disorders.
·
Another
barrier to effective care is inaccurate assessment
·
During
depressed episodes, affected persons suffer loss of interest and enjoyment,
reduced energy leading to diminished activity.
·
Other
symptoms include anxiety attacks, disturbed sleep and appetite and having
feelings of guilt or low self-worth, poor concentration.
In the study titled Depression in adult Nigerians: results
from the Nigerian Survey of Mental Health and Well-being by Gureje O, etal, 2010,
it was stated that profiles and detailed studies of depression among Africans
are still sparse. Yet that work was carried out six years ago. The landscape in
respect of this discuss is gradually changing.
In a study by several Nigerian academic titled Prevalence of
Depression among Resident Doctors in a Teaching Hospital, South East Nigeria by
Aguocha GU, Onyeama GM, Bakare MO and Igwe MN published in the International
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2015, it was observed that there was an
increased rate of depression amongst resident doctors.
The study concludes that
there was high prevalence of depression among resident doctors. There was no
gender and marital status significant variations in depression among the
resident doctors. The reason for this was cited as the stressful nature of the
residency programme and the increased expectations and responsibilities placed
on them.
The result above was on the prevalence of depression in
resident doctors. There is a perception here that every doctor is well off. These are persons that are expected to carter for patients in
the hospital, and with depression, it portends grave danger for the overall
health institution and health care providers in the country.
There are enough reasons why most Nigerians could easily relapse
into depressed episodes, with the state of affairs in the country where there
is little or no electricity, endless queues in filling stations, increase in
prices of goods, pressure to meet the needs of the nuclear and extended
families, lack of job opportunities and the absence of equity to address
perceived wrongs.
With this, it is easy for any person irrespective of the
status of the person to fall into depression. Yet, most Nigerians would put up a brave face, and would rather seek audience with a clergy instead of
seeking a section with a medical professional.
The inaccessible nature of such health care and the nature of the society makes this a difficult discuss. Few wouldn't spend anything on an ailment that is not visible to the eye when the average person can barely feed properly.
As long as many Nigerians take depression as a sickness that
has a spiritual colouration, and the stigma that comes from the society, it
would continue to be a misunderstood ailment.
It would take adequate awareness
for people to change their perception about an ailment that has become a
silent killer.
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