The Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN) has urged the Federal Government to expand relational and community support systems to help cushion the psychological impact of Nigeria’s economic downturn.
The call was contained in a communiqué jointly signed by APN President, Prof. Taiwo Obindo, and Secretary-General, Dr. Olajide Abayomi, on Monday in Lagos. The communiqué was issued at the end of the APN 56th Annual General and Scientific Meeting (AGSM) held in Benin, Edo State.
The association said the government must strengthen structural and systemic support systems—such as social safety nets, community-based services, and workplace support—to reduce the intensity of economic stressors affecting Nigerians.
According to the communiqué, there is a need for political will, intersectoral collaboration, and strong moral commitment to reform and re-engineer the nation’s mental health system.
“Let the government expand access to evidence-based treatment, build a national research consortium, and foster community engagement and youth empowerment.
“There is a need to decentralize mental healthcare through primary care integration using a task-shifting and task-sharing model, enabling non-specialist health workers to deliver basic mental health interventions across all levels,” it stated.
The communiqué also recommended that APN formalise collaboration and dialogue with faith-based organizations to provide basic mental health training and promote awareness, noting their influential role in community access to mental healthcare.
It further advised the association to develop an NDLEA–APN joint training and capacity-building programme to tackle drug abuse, and urged mental health professionals to integrate psychotherapy into clinical practice and academic training.
It added that practitioners must shift their focus “from fixing individuals to fixing systems.”
“All stakeholders should strengthen rehabilitation, aftercare, social reintegration, early prevention, and school-based mental health programmes.
“There is a need to reform educational curricula to be more skill-based and entrepreneurship-focused to reduce unemployment and underemployment.
“There is also a need to utilize both traditional and digital media, and adopt digital technology such as tele-psychiatry, which is popular among young people,” the communiqué said.
The conference ended with the election of a new set of executives to lead the association for the next two years. Three new members were also appointed to the Board of Trustees, while nine full members and three medical members were inducted into the association.
