Mr Paul Agbo, Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of the Department of Behavioral and Mental Health at the newly established Federal University Lafia Teaching Hospital (FUTH), says that mental health challenge is not a spiritual issue.
President Bola Tinubu had recently approved the conversion of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital Lafia to a teaching hospital.
The consultant stated this at a symposium to commemorate the 2024 ‘World-Mental-HealthDay’ on Wednesday in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
“As Doctors and mental health practitioners, we are scientists and from my practice, I have treated victims who had attributed the caused of their problems to the spirit.
“The results I have gotten in my practice, all those with metal issues that were said to be spiritually attacked where given medication and the got healed.
“I will categorically state that mental illness has nothing to do with spirit in the context of what causes it,” he added.
The consultant however, explained that spirituality has a role to play when it is about healing getting of all illnesses including mental health.
On the The theme of the day, Prioritising Mental Health in the Workplace, the expert urged employers of labour to make the environment conducive in order to get the best from the employees.
He explained that to much workload, poor welfare, lack of respect, unfavorable working environment among others are capable of activating the mental issues on the worker.
He added that the people are already facing a lot of hardship in the country that is capable of causing mental issue.
He advised members of the public not to focus on the challenges going on in the country, but to focus on things that would make them happy.
He also advised the public to avoid people that always talk about the bad things that is happening because that would make them unhappy and being unhappy always on its own is a metal problem.
The consultant further called on the people to avoid substance abuse because of its long time effect on their mental health. (NAN).