The Mind-Body Connection

As Gede Foundation’s Management of Stress in the Workplace Programme is about to take off, we would like to share with you this relevant excerpt about how ailments can be directly attributed to stress and other negative emotions.    

It’s interesting to note that certain emotions are known to be associated with pain in certain regions of your body, even though science cannot give an explanation for why. For example, those suffering from depression will often experience chest pains, even when there’s nothing physically wrong with their heart.

Extreme grief (or any other extremely stressful event) can also have a devastating impact—not for nothing is the saying that someone “died from a broken heart.” In the days after losing a loved one, your risk of suffering a heart attack shoots up by 21 times!

While the mechanics of these mind-body links are still being unraveled, what is known is that your brain, and consequently, your thoughts and emotions, do play a role in your experience of physical pain, and can play a significant role in the development of chronic disease.

For example, previous studies have linked stress to lowered immune system function, increased blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and altered brain chemistry, blood sugar levels, and hormonal balance. It has also been found to increase the rate at which tumors grow. One of the reasons for this has to do with the way the biological stress response promotes inflammation in your body.

When you're stressed, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol, which prepare your body to fight or flee the stressful event. Your heart rate increases, your lungs take in more oxygen, your blood flow increases, and parts of your immune system become temporarily suppressed, which reduces your inflammatory response to pathogens and other foreign invaders.

When stress becomes chronic, your immune system becomes increasingly desensitized to cortisol, and since inflammation is partly regulated by this hormone, this decreased sensitivity heightens the inflammatory response and allows inflammation to run rampant. While it’s not possible to eliminate stress entirely, you can help your body to compensate for the bioelectrical short-circuiting caused by emotional stress.

See the full article from this source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/30/eft-mapping-emotions.aspx?x_cid=20160210_ranart_eft-mapping-emotions_facebookdoc

Parenting behavior and children’s mental health

 As I interact more frequently with Principals, Teachers, School’s Counselors, Parents and Children in the UNICEM – Gede Foundation educational support programme currently going on in 10 communities of Cross River State. I would say that there is a strong relationship between weak parenting and onset of drugs and alcohol use among young Children.

 In one of the community schools, a child was reported to have taken to school a bottle of alumo (an alcohol beverage) and bragged to his friends on how much quantity he can take and still maintain his calm. On a one –and-one conversation, it became clear that he had no parental caution:

Me: Why did you bring alumo to school?

Student: Madam, nothing (with his face downward)

Me: How old are you?

Student: 12 years old

Me: Who buys alumo in your house?

Student: My father and my Uncle.

Me: Who goes to the shop to buy alumo for your Father and Uncle?

Student: Myself or my Brother or my Sister

Me:  Does your Mother know that you drink alumo?

Student: She is my step Mother, she use to see my Uncle give us the remaining from his bottle, but it is usually small quantity…

Me: Apart from alumo which other “drink” have you taken?

Student: Ufofop (locally brewed dry gin)

Me: How and where did you get a drink - ufofop?

Student: In the house, my Father use to prepare it... but he is not doing it again.

Me: When you take ufofop or even alumo nobody tells you that it is bad for your health?…

Student: No

Me: When was the first time you ever took ufofop?

Student: When I was small, I cannot remember.

Me: You are now in Junior Secondary Class 1, maybe it is when you were in your primary school level? What class, can you remember?

Student: like in my primary 5

Me: How did you get this bottle of alumo that you brought to school?

Student: (long silence)

 This conversation went on for more than 30 minutes and I could spot information gap on effects of drugs and alcohol abuse and poor parenting as being influencing factors to the onset of alcohol use in this 11 year old. Parents have enormous influence in shaping the personality and behavior of their children, when there is a short falls in this responsibility of providing supportive environment and role modeling healthy behavior for their children, it leaves a huge task on the part of the teachers who most times may not be able to provide the necessary safety nets for children within school hours.

Ekaette Udoekong

Zonal Representative

Cross River State

MENTAL HEALTH AND ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY

During the course of my work with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), I have come to realise that some orphans are more vulnerable than others. In particular, those suffering from mental health challenges face the twin problems of stigma and marginalisation and need careful 'handling'. I can give one example. I met Ladi Bako, one of Gede's OVC beneficiaries who lost her parents due to an attack by Boko Haram. One can only imagine the trauma she has experienced through losing her parents in such a violent way. It is not surprising that Ladi herself is now suffering from both trauma and depression. in turn, this has meant that it has been difficult to concentrate and to focus on her income generating work in particular - and has shown me how close mental health is to economic vulnerability for so many OVC living in Nigeria

John Adakolo

THE ART OF MORAL PROTEST

There can be little doubt that, at the current time, one of the key objectives of many agencies working within mental health is to ‘prove the case’ largely in terms of, (i) prevalence and impact, and, (ii) developing ways in which mental health screening, treatment and referral skills can be integrated into existing health platforms. While these objectives are absolutely worthy and essential (and might also result in insights into other non communicable diseases in particular), there are increasing calls to ensure that ‘the voices’ of those suffering from (and affected by) mental health conditions do not get lost in the research and policy evolution ‘din’. Indeed, it is difficult to see how any real progress can be made either in research and/or policy formulation without their voices being ‘front and centre’ – as they have been within HIV-AIDS.

This opens up a sometimes uncomfortable debate within NGOs regarding the use of ‘shock tactics’ to gain the attention of the reading public and decision makers. How long will it be until mental health user groups emerge which espouse a radical agenda, forcing the policy and resource allocation ‘debate’ to pay attention to them through their ability to shock their audience into ‘submission’? Reflecting on the lessons from HIV-AIDS support groups, is this inevitable and, indeed, even desirable for the longer term benefit of users? At what point will mental health support groups morph into protest movements and demand equal rights to health for all of their members? Is there even any case from around the world in which ‘rights’ have been won without a ‘fight’ involving the ability to shock decision makers in particular into action? If not, what does this say for the rights of people living with and affected by mental health in Nigeria?

A CRISIS OF HOPE

Today’s world has seen the unthinkable and done the unimaginable. With records in all fields of endeavour, it remains a mystery how the conquest of the ‘outer world’ is hardly reflected in realities of the ‘inner world’. It appears as though the further man ‘goes out’ to master his exterior situation the further he gets from mastering his internal condition.

This truth is best observed in the world of mental health disorders. Among the common mental disorders, the incidence of depression stands out and often time progresses into other conditions such as alcohol abuse and suicidality. One thing seems common to all forms and expressions of depression: the strong sense of hopelessness. With a growing incidence of depression the world over, it seems safe to say the world is progressively being confronted by a crisis of hope.

It was Orison Swett Marden who once said: ‘There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as an expectation of something tomorrow’. Today, more than ever before, hope is the most valuable commodity that is important to one as it is to all. At Gede(interestingly ‘Gede’ stands for hope in Fulani), bringing hope to those who need it the most is a priority, and with present endeavours for addressing mental health challenges among people living with HIV/AIDS, I think I feel really proud to be curbing, with Gede Foundation, one of today’s major crisis of hope in my dear country, Nigeria.

By Ebhohimen Kizito

GEDE’S HIV PREVENTION PROJECT IN OYO STATE- HAF 2 GRANT

A 2-year support initiative from the World Bank through OYO SACA was aimed at tackling the incidence rate of HIV infection in rural communities in Oyo State from January 2014 to December 2015. Gede Foundation in Ibadan, Oyo State, implemented HIV prevention programmes using the Minimum Prevention Package Intervention (MPPI) modules in two Local Government Areas. In reaching 3000 adults with HIV prevention activities such as peer education sessions, condom distribution and referral services outlets, and a number of lessons were learnt-

Project Management Training

It wasn’t enough to roll out the grant to ‘qualified’ organizations; rather, routine capacity building meetings to implementers yielded the needed results. I was involved in several CSO meetings with OYO SACA, NACA and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that data from the field are properly processed.

Peer Educators’ Sessions

It was a significant experience to have adults (Men and Women) participating in community dialogues during the sessions, and, those infected with the virus were not stigmatized but supported. Although stigma is yet to be eradicated, a reasonable family care and support still exists within many community settings. Participants were always eager to receive more IEC materials provided in the project

Buy-in and Sustainability

The project started with initial challenges in getting people toparticipate in community activities, especially, during the day as adults were always seen attending to their farm and other businesses’ needs. The sudden twist regarding meeting times encouraged full participation. It was also obvious that when beneficiaries are not involved from the project design, it is difficult to succeed in the sustainability plan.

I am hoping to see that the incidence rate is positively affected through this programme as we hope to sustain the initiative from other subsequent opportunities.

Peter Oshademi

Zonal Representative- South West

PRESS CONFERENCE- ENDING AIDS IN 2030

It is no longer news that international funding and support to fight HIV-AIDS, TB and Malaria in Nigeria is dwindling. Recently, in-country advocacy, mainly to government agencies is understandably intensified in order to stimulate internal mechanism to provide the necessary support to those infected with the virus. In Nigeria, about 3.4million people are infected with HIV and less than a quarter of that could access treatment (even with external donor support).

In a press conference, participants including members of Civil Society Organizations, Donor Agencies, Government Agencies and the  Media acknowledged the gains recorded over the years, which were driven mainly by external support  from   PEPFAR, Global Funds, DFID and UNAIDS and also cautioned on the need to explore internal mechanism  to ensure a sustainable treatment programmes for Nigerians.

The National Coordinator for network of People Living with HIV-AIDS in Nigeria, Victor Omosehin highlighted various challenges faced by those in need of drugs (including user fees), in health facilities and noted the dangers that might evolve as a result of these constraints.

Participants agreed that unless internal support is harnessed, especially in local production of antiretroviral drugs and other health insurance benefits including ART for those on treatment, the psychosocial burden on People Living with HIV-AIDS will create another treatment gap in patients’ care.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

As regular readers of Gede blogs will know, the Foundation exists to bring underserved and stigmatised health burdens ‘out of the shadows’ through high quality research, catalytic partnerships and advocacy initiatives, all of which make a real difference at the community level. Building on our work over the last two years in particular, 2016 promises to be an exceptionally busy and rewarding year for Gede and will focus on –

- The publication and widespread dissemination of our 2015 Prevalence Study of common mental disorders in a sample of 1200 people living with HIV-AIDS in Abuja, Nigeria. This Study – one of the largest ever undertaken in Africa – has generated a great deal of attention from the development, mental health and HIV-AIDS communities and the final Report will be posted on the website

- The cultural validation of mental health screening tools for the benefit of those living with, and affected by, HIV-AIDS (including orphans and vulnerable children). Gede will work with leading partners to ensure that tools used for the screening, treatment and referral of key mental health conditions will be linguistically and culturally appropriate to those engaged by them which will help to limit mis-diagnosis and generate increasing levels of mental health awareness

- Working with our partners, NEPWHAN among others to ensure that mental health screening, treatment and referral skills are integrated into HIV-AIDS care and support platforms in ways which strengthen the role of Support Groups in mental health stigma reduction and general awareness raising

The Foundation will also be involved in other important activities such as supporting the work of the CSO Coalition on Mental Health; publishing Nigeria’s first Mental Health Directory; evolving our highly successful Mental Health Dialogue Programme; delivering our innovative Managing Stress in the Workplace Programme to a range of clients.

So, a busy year ahead! Please do return to our website regularly and remember – there is no health without mental health.

John Minto, Managing Director, Gede Foundation

Where is the dignity in mental health?

Originally published in Business Day by John Minto & Jennifer Douglas-Abubakar

For most reasonable people, the right of anyone suffering from an illness to be treated in a clinically appropriate and respectful manner is so obviously true and morally correct that it is baffling to think that the position has to be defended for any medical condition. However, in the case of those suffering from mental illness, there is little doubt that few are able to access their right to appropriate care. The commemoration of World Mental Health Day on October 10 offers us an appropriate moment to reflect and ask, 'why?'

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Successful end to Mental Health Dialogue 2015

The Gede Foundation Mental Health Dialogue Programme for year 2015 ended on a very pleasant note on Wednesday 16th December, when stakeholders, partners and other attendees got together in an informal gathering where there was a lot to eat and drink. Prior to the get together, there was a run through to summarize events and presentations which took place earlier in the year.

For some participants, there were one or two must mention topics which were further discussed.  One or two participants expressed their views that Gede had done very well in the outgoing year but hoped that the programme had reached a more mature stage where it should be taken to a bigger venue that would attract more people as well as make it a more high media event that would cause a larger number of people to be aware of the good work Gede is doing. The Dialogue programme hopes to return in 2016 with a BANG!!! Watch this space for more in the coming year.