Health
Yaba psychiatric hospital seeks support for people with mental illness
Psychiatrists at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, have stressed the need for healthcare providers, families and society to listen to the lived experiences of people with mental health conditions, warning that stigma, poor social support and barriers to treatment can undermine their recovery.
They noted that listening to patients would help people understand the challenges they face beyond their diagnoses, including difficulties with medication, employment, relationships and reintegration into society.
The mental health experts also advocated the implementation of the Mental Health Act, providing stronger social welfare support for people living with mental health conditions and protecting them from stigma and discrimination, including in workplaces.
The psychiatrists called for increased funding for mental health research, better access to treatment, affordable housing for patients who have nowhere to return to after hospitalisation and the introduction of mental health education in secondary schools.
They made the call at the hospital’s 2026 commemoration of World Mental Health Day, held on Monday, October 12, 2026.
The event’s theme was “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.”
World Mental Health Day is commemorated on October 10 every year to raise global awareness, fight social stigma, and mobilise support for mental health care.
The theme for this year is, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change.”
In his opening remarks, the Medical Director of FNPH, Yaba, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, said this year’s theme called for people to hear the experiences not only of patients, but also of caregivers, researchers and professionals who train mental health workers.
He said misconceptions about mental illness remained a concern, including the belief that it was contagious.
Owoeye stated that mental health challenges should not be treated as a source of shame and urged the public to show empathy and provide people with the support they need in their families, communities and workplaces rather than stigmatise them.
“Some of the conditions are treatable, and they get well and function. Therefore, these individuals should not be neglected,” he said.
Owoeye said mental health conditions could affect anyone, regardless of religion, socioeconomic status, language or where they lived and called for more government and non-governmental support for research into mental health in Nigeria.
He also urged people living with mental illnesses, and their relatives, to seek help early.
“For those who have mental health issues, seeking help is not a sign of weakness. Let them seek help. Let the family of some seek help for them. Let the churches or mosques where they belong seek help for them on time,” he said.
Owoeye identified persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep, unexplained anxiety or sadness, restlessness and irritability as possible signs that a person may need help, asserting that early recognition and prompt intervention could improve outcomes.
The MD also warned against using drugs or sleeping pills to cope with life’s challenges, saying substance use could create further problems.
Owoeye said people who appeared unsettled or were behaving differently should not simply be locked away, but should be helped to access care, noting that the number of federal neuropsychiatric hospitals had increased from seven to 10.
Presenting the commemorative lecture, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Dr Grace Ijarogbe, said the experiences of people living with mental health conditions should inform how they are treated, supported and reintegrated into society.
She explained that mental health conditions could affect patients’ daily activities, work, relationships and ability to maintain social connections, adding that stigma and inadequate support could make these difficulties worse.
Ijarogbe noted that some patients struggled to keep medical appointments or afford their medications, while others did not respond adequately to treatment, stating that these experiences required healthcare providers to look beyond symptoms and consider the wider circumstances affecting patients.
She identified factors such as genetics, diet, family relationships, the workplace and the surrounding environment as issues that could influence a person’s mental health and recovery.
The psychiatrist said listening to patients could help healthcare providers understand their individual challenges and determine the support they needed, rather than assuming that every patient’s experience was the same.
She also called for the protection of the rights of people with mental health conditions, including access to employment, housing and social support.
Ijarogbe said some patients remained in hospital wards because they had nowhere to go after treatment, highlighting the difficulties of reintegrating into society without adequate support.
She disclosed that a halfway home had been donated to support people who needed assistance after leaving the hospital, stressing the importance of providing patients with a safe environment as they continued their recovery.
The psychiatrist questioned whether the Mental Health Act would adequately address patients’ experiences if the practical challenges they faced outside hospital settings were not tackled.
She called on the authorities to implement the law and urged the government to work with non-governmental organisations and other support groups to improve care for people living with mental health conditions.
Ijarogbe also expressed concern about substance use among adolescents, calling for mental health education to be incorporated into secondary school curricula to help young people understand mental health and seek assistance when necessary.
She urged people experiencing mental health difficulties to seek professional care early instead of waiting until their conditions became severe.
Also, a Consultant psychiatrist and Head of Clinical Services at the hospital, Dr Oluwafunmilayo Akinola, said the theme placed people who had experienced mental illness and their caregivers at the centre of discussions about care and policy.
She said listening should be followed by understanding, empathy and practical help, so that patients’ experiences could inform improvements to mental health services.
“We need to listen, understand, show empathy, and help, so that we can formulate policies and improve the services that we have,” Akinola said.
The psychiatrist warned against interpreting every expression of anger by a person recovering from a mental health condition as a relapse, saying those around them needed to understand their circumstances and respond appropriately.
She encouraged families and caregivers to be more tolerant of people recovering from mental health conditions and to recognise that they might need time and support to return to their usual activities.
The psychiatrist also advocated flexibility in the workplace, saying people recovering from mental health conditions might benefit from alternative roles that take their circumstances into account.
She encouraged people facing emotional difficulties to speak with trusted individuals rather than keep their problems to themselves, noting that discussing their concerns could help them cope.
Akinola stressed that listening and understanding were important in supporting people with mental health conditions, urging society to avoid labelling them and instead create an environment in which they could speak about their experiences and receive support.
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