Vanguard summit: Experts demand action on Mental Health Act, school counselling, affordable care

•Say Nigeria can’t afford to fail its youth

** By Sola Ogundipe & Chioma Obinna**

Nigeria cannot afford to fail its young people as experts at the 4th Vanguard Mental Health Summit called for urgent, coordinated action to address the country’s youth mental health challenges, insisting that government policies, school-based interventions, affordable treatment and stronger accountability must translate into measurable results.

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They warned that awareness campaigns alone would not protect young people from depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicide risk and the growing psychological pressures associated with social media, insecurity, and other social challenges.

The experts, who spoke at the 4th Vanguard mental health summit on Friday in Lagos, stressed that government, health professionals, schools, families, religious institutions, the media and technology platforms must share responsibility for protecting young people’s mental well-being.

They urged the Federal Government and state governments to move beyond policy declarations to full implementation of the Mental Health Act, adequate funding of mental health services, integration of care into primary healthcare and the establishment of accessible counselling and referral systems in schools.

In his presentation titled: “Making Youth Mental Health Everyone’s Business: From Policy to Practice”, President of the Nigerian Medical Association, (NMA) Prof. Ernest Omoti, represented by the association’s Financial Secretary, and also a professor of psychiatry, Prof. Olayinka Atilola, said youth mental health must become everyone’s business, with practical action replacing isolated interventions.

Atilola called for the implementation and funding of the Mental Health Act, the National Mental Health Policy and the National Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework, alongside the integration of mental health services into primary healthcare.

Omoti also stressed the need to train a multidisciplinary mental health workforce and establish counselling and referral systems in schools and universities.

Families, religious leaders, community organisations and the media, he said, had important roles to play in reducing stigma, identifying distress early and ensuring that young people receive appropriate support.

He urged people to listen to young people without rushing to judge them, stressing: “Listen before you label.”

The NMA president also called for responsible media reporting of suicide and greater participation of young people in decisions affecting their mental health.

Mental Health Act: Experts demand implementation

A major concern raised at the summit was the gap between Nigeria’s mental health policies and their implementation.

A Professor of Psychiatry, Prof. Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, argued that mental health should be treated as an essential component of national development rather than a marginal health issue.

He called for the effective implementation of the Mental Health Act, including measures to decriminalise attempted suicide, expand community-based services and improve access to treatment.

Sheikh said the country must recognise the wider social consequences of untreated mental health conditions, particularly the effects of conflict, insecurity, displacement and trauma on individuals, families and communities.

He also advocated investment in what he described as “psychological infrastructure”, arguing that the country’s development priorities should extend beyond physical infrastructure to include the emotional and psychological well-being of its people.

According to him, restoring mental well-being, trust and social cohesion is important to national progress, while mental health has value beyond its contribution to economic productivity.

Speaking, President of the Association of Psychiatric Association of Nigeria, (APN), Dr. Nyamali Veronica Oluyemisi, also called for urgent implementation of the Mental Health Act.

She urged the government to establish the department and Mental Health Fund provided for under the law and ensure that mental health services receive dedicated, sustained funding.

Nyamali further called on state governments to domesticate and implement relevant provisions of the Act, while integrating mental health services into primary healthcare and community-based care.

She advocated the training and deployment of mental health focal persons in secondary and tertiary schools to identify students experiencing psychological distress and link them with appropriate services.

The APN president also called for wider access to affordable treatment, the use of telehealth where appropriate, stronger public education and measurable targets against which progress could be assessed before the next summit.

Social media, new pressure on young minds

The experts also warned that the digital environment had created additional challenges for young people, requiring coordinated action from parents, schools, health professionals, technology platforms and policymakers.

Speaking, a professor of Psychiatry, Professor Mashudat Abiola Bello-Mojeed, who spoke on protecting young minds in the age of social media, highlighted concerns around cyberbullying, online exploitation, misinformation, unhealthy social comparison and pressures linked to body image and sleep disruption.

She called for stronger national coordination to address online harms and urged schools to establish clear safeguarding policies, reporting channels and counselling support for students affected by cyberbullying.

Bello-Mojeed cautioned against relying solely on blanket restrictions, stressing the importance of building trust between parents and young people while equipping children with digital literacy and the ability to recognise harmful online experiences.

She also called for greater accountability in the digital environment and urged clinicians to consider young people’s online experiences when assessing their mental health.

Her recommendations included the SAFE-MIND framework as part of a broader approach to protecting young people in an increasingly digital world.

Drug abuse, mental health-linked

Also, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), warned that substance abuse and mental health problems frequently reinforce each other, making prevention, treatment and rehabilitation as important as enforcement.

Represented by the Assistant Comptroller General, Archie- Abia Ibinabo, said the human distress behind drug abuse must not be ignored in efforts to address the problem.

“Behind almost every case of drug abuse is a story of pain: anxiety nobody noticed, depression nobody named, trauma nobody treated,” Marwa said.

He urged stakeholders to reach young people with appropriate information, support and treatment before substance use develops into more serious problems.

“We must meet young people where they are,” he said.

Marwa disclosed that the NDLEA had counselled, treated and rehabilitated 53,843 people through its 31 rehabilitation centres, while its War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, initiative had conducted 17,213 outreach activities in five years.

He called for stronger community-based prevention, early intervention in schools, affordable treatment outside major cities and the integration of mental health support into primary healthcare.

Marwa also urged stakeholders to challenge the online glamorisation of drugs and reduce the stigma that often prevents people with substance-use and mental health problems from seeking help.

He stressed that a comprehensive response must combine law enforcement with prevention, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation.

Affordable care, confidentiality essential

Also speaking on behalf of the Lagos State Controller of Corrections, Mr. Daramola George, represented by Mr. Ajayi Francis Akinlou, also called for accessible, quality and confidential mental health services.

He emphasised the need to strengthen community and primary healthcare services, provide young people with reliable, age-appropriate digital information and protect their privacy when they seek help.

It also urged the media to report suicide and self-harm responsibly, while encouraging young people to participate in developing policies and programmes intended to address their needs.

He stressed that discussions about mental health must lead to concrete interventions rather than end with expressions of concern.

Treatment options and early intervention

Also, a UK-based consultant psychiatrist, Dr. Olufemi Oluwatayo highlighted the importance of recognising mental health conditions early and ensuring that young people receive appropriate, evidence-based care.

He identified depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder among conditions that may affect young people, noting that treatment should be tailored to the individual and may include psychotherapy, medication or a combination of interventions.

Oluwatayo also discussed transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS, as a possible treatment option for selected patients with depression who have not responded adequately to established treatments.

Citing the BRIGhTMIND trial involving 255 patients with treatment-resistant depression, he said the treatment involved 20 sessions over four to six weeks.

However, he stressed that TMS should not be presented as a universal solution for mental health conditions. Potential side effects and suitability must be assessed by qualified professionals, and the treatment does not replace established care for every patient.

The presentation reinforced calls for improved access to mental health professionals, early assessment and treatment options suited to patients’ needs.

From summit declarations to accountability

In his welcome remarks, Vanguard Editor, Mr Eze Anaba, challenged participating organisations to ensure that the summit produced practical commitments rather than another round of discussions.

He urged each organisation to identify specific actions, assign responsibility to named individuals and set deadlines for delivery, with progress assessed over the following year.

The approach, he stressed, would help determine whether the commitments made at the summit translated into tangible improvements.

Expert urges treatment over punishment

A US based specialist, Dr Daniel Ikpechukwu, said Nigeria must rethink how its justice system handles young people whose involvement with drugs leads to offending, with greater emphasis on addiction treatment, rehabilitation and recovery rather than punishment alone.

In his presentation, titled: “Youth Drug Addiction and the Justice System: Advancing Treatment, Rehabilitation and Recovery in Nigeria”, Ikpechukwu, a substance abuse and behavioural health counsellor and adjunct professor of psychology at Georgia Gwinnett College, United States, highlighted the need to balance accountability with appropriate care for young people affected by substance dependence.

Nigeria’s national drug use survey estimated that 14.4 per cent of people aged 15 to 64, representing about 14.3 million people, had used psychoactive substances. The scale of the problem calls for coordinated action involving healthcare providers, families, communities, and the justice system.

For young people whose substance use is linked to offending, the consequences can extend beyond legal penalties to their health, education, family relationships and employment prospects. Untreated dependence may compound these difficulties and make rehabilitation more challenging.

A key priority is early identification and professional assessment to determine the appropriate intervention. Not every young person who uses drugs is dependent, making individual assessment essential.

Police officers, prosecutors, judges and correctional personnel also need training to recognise possible substance use disorders and facilitate referrals for treatment. Where legally appropriate, treatment based alternatives may complement conventional justice measures without compromising accountability or public safety.

Rehabilitation must continue beyond formal treatment. Follow up care, counselling, family support and opportunities to return to education or employment can help young people sustain recovery and rebuild their lives.

Government agencies responsible for health, justice, education and drug control need to coordinate their efforts, expand access to qualified treatment providers and ensure continuity of care.

Schools, families and youth organisations also have a role in identifying warning signs and directing young people to professional help early.

Sustained funding, trained personnel and accessible treatment facilities are essential. Relevant agencies should also track treatment access, rehabilitation outcomes and continuity of care to determine whether interventions are producing lasting results.

However, the call for accountability ran through the discussions, with experts emphasising that government agencies must fund and implement policies, schools must establish support and referral systems, health institutions must expand access to care, families must listen without stigma, and digital platforms must take online harms seriously.

For young Nigerians confronting psychological distress, the experts said, the central challenge is not simply whether the country recognises the importance of mental health, but whether help is available when and where it is needed.

They insisted that Nigeria must move from awareness to implementation, from policy to funded services, and from promises to measurable action if it is to protect the mental well-being and future of its young people.

Vanguard News

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