Expert identifies signs of mental ill-health

Sycophancy, greed, extortion and hoarding are signs of mental ill-health, Andrew Zamani, a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Nassarawa State University, has declared.

He spoke on Psychological Well-being, Mental Health and Service Delivery in the Nigeria Workplace as part of the Servicom Day Celebration of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), in Abuja, this afternoon.

According to him, many Nigerians exhibit various symptoms of mental ill-health without knowing that they urgently needed help.

The Professor Clinical Psychology said, “We see indications of mental ill-health in the streets in the form of road rage, extortion and street fights.   

Other forms of mental ill-health include:  avoidant behaviours, hoarding, greed, unforgiveness and sycophancy.

“We must discuss mental ill-health.  About 30 percent of the Nigerian population bear psychological diagnosis that require urgent care but for which they don’t seek care.”

He added that Nigeria ranked 15th nation with the highest number of suicide cases, yet, “mental ill-health remains an officially neglected issue, with the least budget in the health sector.”

Prof. Zamani described mental ill-health as, “a silent epidemic,” adding that the high levels of poverty, unemployment and uncensored access to the internet and violence, across the country have contributed to exacerbating the large number of people suffering from various degrees of mental ill-health, in Nigeria.

He called for urgent attention to the problem by both government and employers in the private sector, in order to stem the tide, which he said had a direct bearing on low productivity across sectors of the economy.

In his address, the Director-General of the BPE, Mr. Alex Okoh, said that his organization remained committed to its core values of integrity, transparency, professionalism, accountability and result-orientation and team.

In her remarks, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of SERVICOM Office at the Presidency, urged Nigerians to pay more attention to their work colleagues and neighbours at home.

According to her, this has become necessary in order to draw attention to any form of abnormal bevahiour, as soon as, such a behavior surfaced.

According to her, there was a correlation between positive mental health and national economic growth, as only people with sound mental health could possibly contribute to the economic development of the country.

 Also speaking, the Director-General of the Bureau of public service reform, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, said that in an era of rapid change and constant demands, the international community has increasingly recognized the critical role that mental health plays in the success of any organization.

“Studies have shown that organisations that prioritise the well-being of their employees experience higher levels of productivity, job satisfaction and overall organizational performance.

“According to recent data, organisations that invest in employee well-being witness a remarkable 25 percent increase in productivity and a 50 percent reduction in absenteeism.

“Furthermore, studies indicate that employees with positive mental health are twice as likely to achieve their full potential compared to those struggling with mental health challenges,” he said.