Depression raises the risk of cancer, diabetes, and other diseases.— Health minister

Pate further stated that the existence of disease conditions such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Neglected Tropical Diseases, and other infectious diseases such as COVID-19 can raise the likelihood of developing mental health problems.

Pate stated this on Tuesday during an event commemorating World Mental Health Day 2023, with the theme "Mental Health is a Universal Human Right."

The theme's goal is to increase information, raise awareness, and motivate people to take action to promote and defend everyone's mental health as a universal human right.

According to the minister, excellent mental health is essential at all stages of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood and old age.

The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which an individual recognizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and can contribute to his or her community."

"The promotion of good mental health and wellbeing is everyone's business; thus, improving the mental health of all Nigerians is increasingly becoming a priority." We must demonstrate dedication to improving people's mental health by utilizing all accessible platforms in our society.

"Everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of mental health, regardless of who they are or where they live." This encompasses the right to be safeguarded against mental health hazards, the right to care that is available, accessible, acceptable, and of high quality, and the right to liberty, independence, and community inclusion.

"A person's mental health condition should not be used to deny them their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health." Nonetheless, people with mental illnesses continue to face a wide range of human rights violations around the world. Many are excluded from communal life and discriminated against, while many more cannot obtain necessary mental health care or can only access care that violates their human rights," he said. According to the WHO 2022 global status report on mental health, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic increased depression and anxiety by more than 25% in the first year, bringing the total number of people living with mental health issues to nearly one billion.

"People with mental health conditions are among the most underserved, with treatment gaps ranging from 55% to 90% in high and low-income countries, respectively." Mental health problems account for a greater proportion of the worldwide disease burden than HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, diabetes, or transportation injuries. They account for around 15% of the worldwide illness burden, with three-quarters of it occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

"Mental health conditions account for approximately 28% of Disability Adjusted Life Years caused by noncommunicable diseases." People with serious mental health issues have a 10- to 20-year lower life expectancy than the general population. 

"The Federal Ministry of Health is deeply committed to developing laws, policies, guidelines, and interventions to improve the mental health and well-being of all Nigerians." This is demonstrated by the Ministry's development in this area over the last year," he said.

He also stated that the ministry is now preparing an implementation roadmap for the recently approved National Mental Health Act, which will be finalized and certified by the end of the year. "When completed, it would be the guiding document for the phased implementation of the provisions of the Act thus setting the pace for the transformation of the delivery of mental health services in Nigeria," Pate stated in a press release.