The Concern Home (TCH), Social and Charitable Initiatives, a Non Governmental Organisation has raised people awareness and mental health conscious in Amuwo – Odofin area of Lagos.
The sensitization programme started with a walk from Amuwo – Odofin secretariat down to Amuwo – Odofin market with social health workers and representatives from different NGOs.
Speaking, Mrs Lillian Anyebe, founder, TCH said that the essence of the walk was to raise society consciousness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health, not just in work places.
She said that the theme of the “Workplace Mental Health with sub-theme “Mental Health Beyond the Workplace” which focuses on taking mental health campaign to the grassroots and reaching everyone with a message of hope.
She said that mental health impacts virtually all aspects of our lives and has implication on physical health, emotional health and relationship with colleagues, neighbours, friends and relations.
“We are here to let people know that mental health disease is a disease of the mind.
“Taking enough rest, knowing your limits, breaking points, knowing when to create healthy boundaries are some of the little things we can do to safeguard stress” she said.
Also, Barr Ijeoma Olatunbosun, Child Protection Network (CPN) Amuwo – Odofin coordinator local government area said that the programme was about awareness on mental health in the workplace particularly.
Olatunbosun said that basically they are talking about a person level of psychological problem as a result of stress which could be from the home, office, community or gathering not necessarily that a person was mad.
She said that when you are not mentally sound in the workplace, productivity would be very very low, noting that people who slumped while working was as a result of mental health.
She sad that the same way one take care of his or her physical health was the same way mental health should be taken care of.
A resident, Mrs Serifat Rufai said that the campaign and awareness was a good one.
Rufai however advised that people should avoid putting pressure on their mental health that they should live according to their financial means.
She said some persons are not contented in life and want to live abov their financial means, they put pressure on themselves and cannot meet up at the end of the day which usually leads to a lot of problems.
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Also, Mr Frank Ogochukwu said that mental health disorder mostly arises from drugs and other related substances.
Ogochukwu said that young people taking drugs, at times does not necessarily wants to take it but they resort taking it when the economy becomes unfavorable to avoid depression.
He said that when NGO comes out for sensitization like this, they should also try as much as possible to roll out programmes that would aid mental health recovery.
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