The Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP), managers of Ireti Resource Centre, has sensitised 50 stakeholders on mental health awareness and access to support services in Lagos State.
WRAHP Team Lead, Bose Ironsi, disclosed this on Thursday during a validation meeting on mental health research held at Elomaz Hotel, Maryland, Ikeja.
Ironsi said the research covered five local government areas and examined public awareness and understanding of mental health issues, as well as knowledge of available support services.
She said the meeting brought together stakeholders from the health, justice, education and security sectors, as well as representatives of rehabilitation homes, religious organisations, the Child Protection Network (CPN) and youth groups.
According to her, WRAHP’s experience supporting survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) had underscored the need for stronger mental health awareness and clearer pathways to care.
“Whether people even understand what mental health is all about, and if they understand, do they know what to do?” Ironsi asked.
She said stakeholders needed to understand reporting pathways, available services and how affected persons could access appropriate support across Lagos State.
Ironsi added that WRAHP would continue to engage relevant stakeholders to strengthen awareness while simplifying the Lagos State Mental Health Law for wider public understanding.
“What we are doing now is simplifying the legal law; luckily, Lagos State has a mental health law,” she said.
She urged members of the public not to wait until mental health challenges became severe before seeking help or encouraging affected persons to access available support.
The research consultant, Prof. Mary Obiyan, said many people failed to recognise mental health challenges until they became severe.
Obiyan explained that mental health involved the brain, reasoning ability and an individual’s capacity to function appropriately, noting that challenges could range from stress and anxiety to depression.
“Although the height of it is when we now see the person being mad, a lot of people face mental health issues before that,” she said.
She called for greater public awareness of mental health laws and urged vulnerable persons to speak up, noting that societal attitudes often discouraged people from discussing their mental health challenges.
Obiyan also advocated coordinated action among relevant organisations to ensure affected persons received appropriate support without stigma or discrimination.
Mrs Ronke Oyelakin of the Child Protection Network said trained stakeholders were ready to support initiatives promoting mental wellness.
Oyelakin said members of the public needed to know where mental health services were available across the state so they could access assistance promptly.
“There’s always a place near you that you could receive service support if you have any mental health issues,” she said.
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She urged religious leaders to use their platforms to promote mental health awareness and discourage stigmatisation, stressing that mental health challenges should not be treated as a source of shame.
Oyelakin, however, noted that awareness remained low, making stronger community-level sensitisation necessary across Lagos State.
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