Is it possible for children to have mental health issues?

Hi there, Solape Bamijoko is back as usual with her human angle stories on mental health. I happened to listen to a conversation between an aunty and her niece a couple of days ago.

Aunty: Hey Laila! Look at you! Its really been ages since I saw you, you are a big girl now. Hmm this can only mean that sooner than I imagine you will be in the boarding school.

Laila: Excuse me aunty! Boarding school ??? Have you forgotten I am a girl?

(While I guess the aunty was still puzzled as to what being a girl has to do with boarding school and probably pondering.)

Laila : Please I don’t want to get kidnapped!!! I would rather remain at home if boarding school is the last option!

I was really amazed and amused by this conversation but on a second thought, I identified some underlying mental health issues in this discussion and I asked myself is it possible that this young girl is being distressed psychologically considering the current issues in the country? In the light of that can such a child have 100% concentration where her academics are concerned? How can we reach young people with mental health awareness programs? I look forward to your contribution to these challenging issues. I can be reached on obamijoko@gedefoundation.org.

Monthly Mental Health Dialogue (MMHD) @ Gede Foundation

Hi, my name is Ekaette Udoekong. I am the Mental Health Program Officer at The Gede Foundation. As part of Gede’s effort to support and promote the Nigerian government’s drive in strengthening inter-sectoral linkages on Mental Neurological and Substance (MNS) abuse issues, the Foundation is initiating a series themed “Monthly Mental Health Dialogue”. This activity will bring key players in the health, prison, police, education, civil society sectors within Mental Health together for mutual exchange of ideas and experiences. It will be a platform for free interfacing, understanding, possible collaboration and dissemination of information. For more information and booking to be at the dialogue in August send a mail to eudoekong@gedefoundation.org

Gede Foundation dialogues with Management Strategies for Africa (MSA) on Mental Health

Gede’s continued effort to increase awareness of mental health among interested parties saw the Foundation visiting MSA on Friday 27th June, 2014. The very interesting talk ended with MSA staff enquiring in particular about how to cope with stress within the Nigerian context in view of current bombings, insecurity, traffic especially in the Federal Capital Territory where they reside. In their own opinion a large number of Nigerians are going through undue stress and recommendations on how to cope with the current situation were apt. These would include refusing to be fearful and intimidated, being security conscious and giving useful information to security agencies. For enquiries about Gede Foundation’s Mental Health Awareness Program please email Ekaette Udoekong on eudoekong@gedefoundation.org.

Gede Supports HIV Stigma Index Survey

June 19 and 20 2014 saw the Gede Foundation support our partner, The Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) in a 2 day training seminar on the forthcoming HIV Stigma Index Survey.

The survey tools capture responses across the following areas including stigma, access to work education, rights, laws and policies, effecting change, testing and diagnosis, treatment and child bearing among people living with HIV/AIDS.

The survey, which will be carried out across the country, is jointly supported by National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA) and Enhancing Nigeria’s Response to HIV and AIDS (ENR). This initiative is of great interest to the Foundation as we remain passionate about addressing the root causes of stigma, most particularly in terms of the barriers it erects in terms of quality services offered to people living positively. For more on Gede’s research activities and The Stigma Index please contact Cynthia Ticao through cjticao@gedefoundation.org

Gede Foundation meets with the President, Nigerian Psychological Association, Dr Andrew Zamani

On Wednesday 25th June 2014, the team of Managing Director and staff of Gede Foundation welcomed Dr Andrew Zamani to their office for a courtesy call. The visit was intended to explore areas of possible collaboration between the Foundation and the Association in the areas of research and capacity building considering Gede’s evolving programme focusing on areas of mental health, neurological and substance abuse as well as other stigmatized illnesses. The Professor commended Gede for developing a programme in such an underserved and highly stigmatized health burden and was especially encouraged in terms of Gede's programme to further coordinate CSOs agencies working within mental health. For more on Gede’s research and capacity building activities please contact Cynthia Ticao through  cjticao@gedefoundation.org

Helping positive people live longer and better…

One of the ways in which we can all support people living positively is by advocating for a greater awareness of mental health conditions within treatment and care regimes. Gede is currently encoding the data we received from interviewing over 100 HIV-AIDS Adherence Counselors to assess their levels of awareness with regard to a range of important mental health conditions. This data will be analysed with our partners, NEPWHAN, and will lead to innovative and long lasting skills development within the Adherence Counselors who, in turn, will be increasingly effective for their positive clients. For further information about this research along with ways to receive a copy of the final report, please email John Minto – jminto@gedefoundation.org

OVC intervention at Gede

A reader’s question to my last blog, “what has become of the four children of this couple?” (who are now complete orphans) brings to mind again the project Gede Foundation is conducting for Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC). Bantu is from a family of seven children who have been left to fend for themselves. He stays with his eldest brother at Gishiri and was at the verge of going out to the streets (with all the attendant risks) to start begging for a living when Gede Foundation encountered him. He was selected using the Gede Foundation guidelines for Skill Acquisition Programme for OVCs and enrolled. Today he is being empowered as an apprentice tailor. Please contact (Mr Godwin Etim – godwin@gedefoundation.org) for further details on our OVC program

Gede Meets with The Herbal Medical Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria

As part of Gede Foundation's efforts to increase the awareness of mental health among the key stakeholders and in turn to learn from them, a meeting with members of The Herbal Medical Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria was held on Monday 16th June, 2014 in Iddo Sarki. After the awareness talk, members of the Association were also given opportunity to explain how their practice is related to mental health and how to recognize mental illness. It was a very interesting session and will be continued in subsequent blogs. For enquiries about Gede Foundation’s Mental Health Awareness Program please email Ekaette Udoekong on eudoekong@gedefoundation.org.

Response of The Herbal Medical Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria to Gede’s visit

As a way of response to the awareness raising talk on Mental Health given to the Herbal Medical Practitioners, the Association wanted to give Gede some food for thought. The President of The Association thanked the Foundation for the eye opening presentation. He said, however, that Gede’s perspective is mainly a medical point of view on mental health. He said the way in which Herbal Medical Practitioners consider mental health is in the areas of mental illnesses caused by hereditary and spiritual factors. He noted that mental wellbeing these days is affected by issues related to socio-economic factors such as poverty and insecurity. In the area of treatment, he said there were medicinal words that can be spoken to the mentally ill that would calm them down. He expressed willingness of his Association to collaborate with Gede Foundation’s innovative efforts within mental health in Nigeria. For enquiries about Gede Foundation’s Mental Health Awareness Program please email Ekaette Udoekong on eudoekong@gedefoundation.org

A Different Understanding (Part 3)

My question to you, the reader, is how could this depression in HIV be handled without the mental health angle being considered? You would agree with me that HIV/AIDS and mental health are closely related and one would invariably affect the other. HIV/AIDS is a stigmatized illness and the news of one being infected with it tends to cause some form of serious mental health condition. In the case of the woman in this story, she should have been referred to a mental health specialist where she could benefit from psychotherapy or drugs like anti-depressants. This shows that HIV/AIDS treatment and care is holistic in nature. Our commitment to halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS as a nation would be more aptly supported if effort is put into promoting Mental Health Services Delivery. A national policy is on ground already and I only hope that the importance of it becoming an Act and subsequent Bill would follow suit. Stakeholders could take a cue and support the motion. Thank you for your attention and anticipated comments. I can be reached on obamijoko@gedefoundation.org