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A Canada-based Nigerian Mental Health practitioner, Alabede Surajdeen, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing into law the National Mental Health and Substance Abuse Bill 2021, describing it as a cheering development.
The new bill which was initiated by the senator representing Kwara Central, Dr Yahya Oloriegbe replaces the outdated Lunacy Act of 1958 and is the first legislative reform to be adopted in the field of Mental Health in Nigeria since independence in 1960.
The law establishes human rights protections for persons with mental health conditions, such as banning discrimination in housing, employment, medical, and other social services. It also guarantees that those receiving treatments have the right to participate in formulating their medical plans and cannot have forced treatment, seclusion, or other methods of restraint without appropriate safeguards.
Surajdeen noted that “though the establishment of the law came at a time when the rest of world have achieved tremendous success in the field of Mental Health and Substance Use, the signing of the bill into law is a cheering and good development for Mental Health care in Nigeria.”
The mental health expert who said the old Lunacy Act of 1958 was archaic and discriminatory, averred that the new legislation would overhaul mental health care and practice in the country, and positively impact the lives of people struggling with mental health challenges.
He said: “The Lunacy Ordinance of 1916 which was reformed as the Lunacy Act of 1958 had been begging for reform for a very long time. The Act was archaic and discriminatory as it permitted the usage of words such as ‘lunatic and idiot’, and actions such as the detention of people with mental illness, suicidal attempts and self-injurious behaviours. There was even the free will of the people to discriminate against and stigmatise people struggling with a mental health disorder.
“This new law will give honour to people struggling with addictions and mental health by separating them from their illness. Also, mental illness will be seen as an actual illness rather than a spiritual problem, and the detention and torturing of people against their desire will be put to an end. The issue of stigmatization and discrimination from the people and the caregivers can now be addressed through continuous training and sensitisation.”
While commending those who championed the passage of the Mental Health Bill 2021, Surajdeen called on concerned authorities to ensure effective evaluation and implementation of the legislation, stressing that this would go a long way in defining the present and future of addictions and mental health in Nigeria.
The graduate of Mental Health and Addictions from Humber College, Ontario also appealed to mental health practitioners in Nigeria to show more empathy, and use therapeutic communication and trauma-informed practices when dealing with people struggling with mental illness.
“As professionals, we must follow the approved world standard treatment for each addiction and mental health disorder as outlined in the revised Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) which is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN-SDGs) 3, that is, good health and wellbeing,” he said.
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