‘20 Million Nigerians At Risk Of Mental Illness

Dr Jibril Abdulmalik, a Consultant Psychiatrist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, has said that no fewer than 20 million Nigerians are at risk of mental illness at one point or the other.

Abdulmalik made the statement on Thursday at the first National Roundtable Discussion on Mental Health held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event with the theme, “Young people and mental health in a changing world,” was organised by Mindplus Practitioners to mark the World Health Day.

Speaking on the ‘Menace of drug addiction among the youths,’ Abdulmalik noted that peer influence was one of the reasons the youths are vulnerable to drug addiction and that is why many of them are suffering from mental illness.

He, however, frowned at the attitudes of some Nigerians who have difficulty in drawing the line between what is medical and what is spiritual as regards mental illness.