The President of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital Yaba,Dr Salawu Abiola has called for improved research on depression and better ways of management.
Abiola, who made the call in an interview on Wednesday in Lagos, decried the lack of adequate data and information about depression in the country.
He said there was a need for the government to collaborate with private organisations to conduct qualitative and quantitative research on depression.
He said that depression had become more prevalent among the populace, particularly the youths, yet little attention was paid to it.
According to him, such research will help to give better information about the incidents and provide better solutions.
“The essence of carrying out research is to give an analogy about what is currently happening.
“Research exposes you to ideologies and problems and gives better awareness of what is happening in society, and the country will be able to make well-informed decisions,” he said.
The psychiatrist, therefore, called for massive awareness programmes on depression and suicide to reduce incidents in the country.
According to him, some of the factors contributing to the incidents included social media, poor parenting, environmental factors and relationship problems, among others.
Abiola, who is also a mental health advocate, said social media played a huge role in the incidents of depression and suicide, especially among youths.
“Social media gives us that picture of a perfect life, so people will want to be like those they see and want to live perfect lives.
“It is so unfortunate because social media has no rules or regulations, and so you cannot really curtail how people use social media or what direction they follow.
“Many youths, especially the idle ones get carried away with what is being put up as a perfect picture or image out there, which sometimes puts the youths under a state of depression; so, there is that restlessness,” he said.
To break free from the distress that people, especially the youths found themselves in, Abiola called for improved awareness and educative programmes.
“When you know better, you have to do better for yourself and the society. We need to keep teaching society that not everything seen out there is real.”
The mental health advocate, therefore, advised that people should develop positive psychology to be able to manage or avert depression.
Abiola explained that most times, people who were depressed were not responsible for the onset of the condition but they could control their reaction toward it.
“Create for yourself an edge to stand and say “things may be bad, but it does not mean that they will always remain like that.
“Let us understand that life is a phase and everything that comes to us will always pass away; depression is real and you cannot bring logic into why an individual is depressed,” he said.
NAN
