A Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, Dr Maymunah Kadiri on Sunday blamed the rising incidents of depression, suicide and some other mental health conditions on social media innovation.
Kadiri, also the Medical Director, Pinnacle Medical Services, Lagos, made the assertion in an interview in Lagos.
She said that social media played a huge role in the incidents of suicide and depression, especially among youths.
According to her, some other factors contributing to the incidents include environmental factors, relationship problems, life challenges and poor parenting, among others.
“Social media gives us that picture of a perfect life; so, people will want to be like those they see on internet and also 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 and what direction they follow.
“Many youths, especially the idle ones get carried away and what is being put up as a perfect picture or image out there puts them under a state of depression; there is that restlessness,” she said.
Kadiri, therefore, called for massive education campaigns about the social media and its possible effects.
She noted that such awareness/education programmes has became imperative in order to reduce the incidents of depression and suicide in the country.
Kadiri said, “When you know better, you have to do better for yourself and society. We need to keep teaching society that not everything seen out there is real”.
She explained that through the social media, people have known the easiest and faster ways to commit suicide; so, people were now more aware of social vices because of social media.
Kadiri decried that many people had became addicted to phones and social media that they could not spend a minute without picking up their phones to navigate through the social media handles.
“To these set of people; everything they see on the internet is expected to be real, reliable and practicable.
“Unfortunately, not everything posted on the social media is realistic; people exaggerate issues to suit their desire,” she said.
The Neuro-psychiatrist lamented that people spend too much time on social media, which to a great extent affect their mental health.
She, however, said that “social media is a good technological innovation, but has been used by many people to exaggerate their strengths and achievements rather than a combination of strength and weaknesses.
NAN
