The 2026 World Mental Health Day was marked across the world on October 10 with the apt theme: “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change.” According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the occasion offers an opportunity to meaningfully engage with people with lived experience (PWLE) of mental health conditions as well as recognise their knowledge as vital form of expertise. The UN health agency says that this year’s campaign calls for their voices to shape the policies, services and decisions that affect their lives.
This must have informed the call by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for greater involvement of people with lived experience of mental health conditions in policy decisions. Mrs. Tinubu made the call during the commemoration of the 2026 World Mental Health Day. She added that the contributions of people living with mental health conditions must be factored in decisions that affect them. The First Lady said that the knowledge and perspectives of people with lived experience of mental health conditions were invaluable and must be recognised in efforts to enhance mental healthcare across the country. She also stated that communities should do more to listen to their experiences, challenge stigma and promote accessible community-based mental health services.
Also, the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, had called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on mental health in the country. The doctors decried that the mental health challenges in the country had reached alarming levels, amid worsening economic conditions, unemployment, poverty and insecurity.
Speaking during a mental health awareness walk organised by the association, a consultant psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Dr. Abayomi Olajide, stated that the prevalence of mental health challenges had increased significantly. He also called for action against substance abuse, which he said needed emergency intervention. He stated that 90 per cent of occupancy in mental health facilities across the country was linked to substance use disorders.
Instructively, the federal government had reiterated its commitment to make mental health services accessible, equitable and affordable for all Nigerians in order to strengthen the nation’s response to mental health challenges. The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, used the occasion to reaffirm government’s resolve to integrate mental health into the national health system. Pate stated that government is prioritising mental health as a critical component of national well-being, stressing that there is no health without mental health. Other stakeholders also called on the federal government to improve Nigerians’ access to mental health services and change the prevailing narrative around mental health in the country.
The WHO says that nearly 1.2 billion people globally live with a mental health disorder, representing approximately 1 in 7 individuals worldwide. About 470 million people live with anxiety and 322 million people live with depression. Bipolar disorder affects around 36 million people, schizophrenia affects about 27 million people, and eating disorders affect approximately 18 million people. Mental health disorders are generally more common in females than in males, although conditions like autism, ADHD, and conduct disorders appear more frequently in males. At the same time, adolescents and young adults (ages 15 to 39) face a high burden, with roughly 14 per cent of adolescents aged 10-19 experiencing mental health conditions.
According to health experts, between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of Nigerians suffer from mental health conditions. Fewer than 10 per cent of those affected receive any form of professional care. We call on the federal government to prioritise mental health and invest in training more psychiatrists too address the specialists widespread shortage. The misconceptions about mental health should be done away with. The disease should not be reduced to witchcraft.
Since stigma reduces treatment numbers, the government, community leaders and other stakeholders must work together to stop the stigmatisation of those affected by mental health disorders. There should be public enlightenment on mental health issues and how those affected can access treatment. We support the call by the WHO for deinstitutionalised care. The government’s new resolve to integrate mental health into the national health care system is welcome.
Let the contributions of those affected by mental health be factored in decisions that affect them. Let state governments key into the federal government’s agenda to improve access to mental healthcare services across the country. Going forward, we advise that mental health challenge should be treated as a national emergency.