MHEI Celebrates 7th Anniversary

Maryam Aminu

An NGO centred on mental health promotion, care and psychosocial support through sensitization, advocacy and early intervention with a particular interest in school-age children, pregnant and nursing women in Africa, Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative (MHEI), on Wednesday, August 31 celebrated it’s 7 years in Abuja.

Addressing journalists, the founder Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative, Ameh Zion, stated that the journey of 7 years wasn’t easy quoting, “nothing good comes easy”.

Speaking further, Zion assured that success has also been recorded in their journey of 7 years.
“We have been able to improve the awareness of mental health and drive home the sensitization across relevant stakeholders to also take up the campaign and attach importance to mental health as they will do to physical health”

Mainstreaming mental health care in the grassroots and commitment to mental health reform is part of our success so far, he added.

The founder disclosed that the mental health bill has been passed from the Senate. He appealed to the president to help approve this laudable bill as signing it will help build a mentally healthy society across the geopolitical zones in the country.

A Clinical Psychologist professor in Nassarawa State University, Professor Andrew E. Zamani disclosed some red light/ signs to watch out for in detecting persons with mental health issues.

“Once ones behaviour pattern changes, it is no longer what it used to be,or relationship breaks down and you are no longer comfortable with the quality of affection and you have tried all you can but is still not working out then something is definitely wrong mentally.”

According to Zamani, these are some of the following signs to watch out for:Interpersonal sensitivity,
Drug habit sets in,
Saying things out of tone with reality,
Sleeping pattern and so on

Zamani added that mental health issues does not necessarily mean you are crazy, it just means that people have cause to worry over one issue or the other that is making them intolerant, affecting their productivity and personal relationship.

He noted that the insecurity in the country has caused a lot of people trauma which predisposes them to a very serious mental health disorder yet to be detected

In his good will message, a member Board of Trustees Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative, Chief Warkani Haruna commended Zion for his initiative in ensuring a mentally healthy society and congratulated MHEI on it’s 7th year on the achievements recorded so far.

Warkani emphasized the importance of strong and stable family, vigilant and conducive environment to help keep the minds of people mentally healthy.

Noting that peer group have negative pressure he urged youth to be watchful of people they make friends with and shun lifestyle of celebrities that are not worth imitating

A representative from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),Owonubi Gbenga expressed that in many cases, it is hard to tell which problem came first; perhaps the mental illness led to the person misusing drugs, or else the drug problem started before the mental illness.

Gbenga noted that on the agency’s part, the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) is really a laudable initiative has it has helped to sensitize the public to only take drugs according to doctor’s or physician’s prescription to help ensure a mentally healthy environment.

He disclosed that the agency has also launched a 24hour NDLEA call centre where people with mental health disorder can get help