In the year 2015, the World Federation for Mental Health
chose “Dignity in Mental health” as the theme for World Mental Health Day that
comes every 10th of October. ‘Dignity’ is a word that has a number
of meanings, none of them precise, but we all recognize dignity when we see it,
and more importantly, we recognize the lack of it when it is absent. The notion
of dignity can simply be defined as the inherent and inalienable worth of all
human beings irrespective of status such as race, gender, physical or mental
state which is deeply embedded in international human rights instruments. Yet
all around the world, many people with mental and psychosocial disabilities are
deprived of their rights to dignity. They are not only discriminated against
but also subject to emotional, physical and sexual abuse in mental health
facilities as well as in the community. Poor quality of care due to the lack of
qualified mental health professionals and dilapidated mental health facilities
can only lead to further violations.
Dignity for persons with mental disorders is
exercising citizenship, with a sense of empowerment and control over their
lives, demanding the same rights to decide where to live, when to meet, where
to love, where to work as they also take some responsibilities.
However, all over the world, people with mental
disorders and/or psychosocial disabilities not only are deprived of their
status as citizens but experience violations of many civil , cultural,
economic, political and social rights especially in low and middle income countries. All too often people with mental disorders and
their families find dignity absent in their dealings with health care providers.
Any good doctor will tell you that the
belief that a medication will work for you is just as important as the
medication itself. This concept has a corollary; how a person is treated when getting
treatment is just as important as or more important as the treatment itself. If
the person we seek help from does not have
the time to remember who we are, the time to really ask about us and
what our concerns are, then the
treatment becomes an upward battle especially when the person providing
the treatment is in burnout and pushed past the
point of caring.
This paints the
picture in most of our middle and low income centers where there is an urgent
need for more mental health professionals to cater for the escalating mental
health problems in the society.
To make dignity in mental health a reality, every
member of the society needs to work with each other to make mental health
visible and not something to be ashamed of. People need to know how to
recognize mental health problems in a person and how to give them help. In
Australia for instance, the mental health first aid program was developed to teach
members of the public how to recognize and assist other people who are in mental
health crises situation. The mental health first Aid Action plan consists of approach,
assess and assist with any crisis then to listen non-judgmentally, to give
support and information as well as encourage appropriate professional help and also
to elicit other supports especially from the family and the society. This kind
of program in Nigeria can banish the discriminations and mindless persecution
of the mentally ill. This provides a platform for citizens to create a more
supportive and caring community for those with mental health problems by
intervening early so that the person can get appropriate support and hasten recovery.
The school is another important setting for promoting mental health of young people.
Research implies that mental health promotion in schools, when implemented
effectively can produce long term benefits for young people, including
emotional and social functioning and improved academic performance.
Several initiatives are ongoing especially in
developed societies to combat discrimination associated with mental illness
such as rebranding of disease states through celebrity engagement, positive
imagery and sound health education. These universal branding guidelines are
being applied to mental illness to discourage discrimination just as several
peer support groups mandated with a focus on ultimate recovery from mental
illness have been created with appreciable evidence of assisting in the
recovery process. This takes place as patients share experiences through reading
materials narrating true stories of how others have succeeded in surmounting
the challenges in their illness. The family is also an important resource in
safeguarding the dignity of the mentally ill by giving adequate care, appropriate
referral and support. Strong mental health advocacy is needed to alert policy
makers and government on the need to give adequate care for the eventually ill.
Mental health legislation can also address
inhuman and degrading forms of treatment and entrench fundamental human rights
of the mentally ill to preserve their dignity.
Dr. Adeoye Oyewole
adeoyewole2000@yahoo.com
+234 803 490 5808 (WhatsApp Only)
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