Appropriate resources and regular training on proper dissemination of information on mental health should be offered to journalists, media enthusiasts, script writers and content creators, taking into consideration the sensitivities of people with lived experiences and their caregivers.
Media establishments, the entertainment industry, health care providers and regulatory bodies are indispensable to mental health information. Appropriate resources and regular training on proper dissemination of information on mental health should be offered to journalists, media enthusiasts, script writers and content creators, taking into consideration the sensitivities of people with lived experiences and their caregivers.
I had put off writing in the media for a while. At some point, concerned persons had reached out to ask if I had also “japa-ed” (a Yoruba word that has become an euphemism for emigration). I must admit that to jump ship has been a tempting recourse in the past triennium, considering that one is constantly confronted by the ills of our society: the insecurity, worsening inflation, a decrepit health sector, successive draconian decisions, and the policies of Nigerian lawmakers which continue to fuel widespread system collapse. Nevertheless, I am aware that there are numerous doctors in Nigeria who still hang on to the tendrils of hope for a better tomorrow and have put “checking out” or “japa-ing” on hold.
Recently, on my way to work, these themes ran violently into each other. I was tuned into a radio programme, where I had to endure the ordeal of listening to some “expert” from a different field from mental health lecture listeners on mental disorders and treatments. The horror I experienced listening to this individual, who felt qualified enough to brazenly misinform the public, was profound. It did not help that the call-ins during the programme spurred further misinformation.
What was remarkable though was the confidence and eloquence of the “expert’s” delivery. It was almost incidental that he was also endangering uninformed listeners. I shuddered and cringed through the broadcast. But I could not phone in. The phone lines to the studio were ringing off the hook, and bear in mind that I was driving. I also reckoned that taking up arms against a speaker on radio would not have been the best approach and may have further fuelled animosity and misconceptions about mental health professionals. Again, it would have been unimaginable to insinuate that the speaker, who was highly recommended by a popular radio presenter, was spewing misinformation and worsening the stigmatisation of people living with mental disorders.
As I listened, I pondered the increasing number of these “neo-psychiatrists” who appear suave, voguish, and knowledgeable. Traits that interestingly appeal to unsuspecting individuals, yet predispose them to exploitation. It was instructive how these traits are rarely found amongst qualified specialists who aim to ensure optimal health and are less bothered about how their appearances or speech patterns come across. On the flip side, there are the lower classes, barely able to afford transportation costs for the next hospital visit, who struggle to procure medications and often skip doses so that purchases last longer.
Several of this latter cohort will with gusto seize upon the offer of a purportedly cheaper alternative for an ailment that they still struggle to accept is not wholly supernatural. A little dose of misinformation by these snake oil vendors may be all they need to revert to “questionable unorthodox” care. Afterall, the nostrum on offer is similar to cultural practices and beliefs they can easily relate with.
Professionals cannot continue to adopt the practices of old to tackle the challenges of the new. It is no longer tenable to stay within the confines of treatment facilities and allow charlatans to take over the mental health space, misinform people and in the wake of this, have qualified professionals left to deal with the complications of their ill-guided actions.
I am not saying that unorthodox care is all bad. But in several instances, people with mental disorders have been exploited by quacks under the guise of cheaper care. There are reported cases of the administration on unsuspecting persons of unregulated doses of antipsychotics and psychoactive drugs included in herbal concoctions. Some of the recipients of these interventions have been physically and sexually abused, culminating in worsened states and complications that warrant medical interventions.
A number of these incidents present as would be storylines off Nollywood movies, but the damage they lead to are as real as their occurrence in our clinics. A slight drift to Nollywood: an institution that for too long has stigmatised people with mental disorders and lags in its portrayal of mental disorders – depicting them as ailments without treatment and without hope of returning to normal functioning. But again, aren’t some Hollywood movies guilty of this too?
I did not get to muse for long though, as I had arrived at my destination and was jolted back to my reality. The reality of most doctors who have stayed back in Nigeria. A long waiting line of people who require medical consultation, mentees to be trained, and other administrative matters to be addressed. Any issue I had with the radio programme was repressed and archived for a later date. However, this time around, rather than stay in the archives, the experience reignited the need to contribute to the dissemination of accurate information on mental health and appropriate treatment channels. Enough of wishing things were done differently, whispering, or exclaiming at what has and had not been done.
I have long realised that while wishes may work in fairy tales, they do not work in today’s world. The time for one to play one’s part in realising the desired change in basic assumptions is here. Professionals cannot continue to adopt the practices of old to tackle the challenges of the new. It is no longer tenable to stay within the confines of treatment facilities and allow charlatans to take over the mental health space, misinform people and in the wake of this, have qualified professionals left to deal with the complications of their ill-guided actions.
Accurate information, responsible and sensitive portrayal of mental health issues should be maintained, ethical guidelines adhered to and sanctions placed where necessary on those who err. While these suggestions are not comprehensive, they speak to the need for accurate mental health information from appropriate sources. It is worthy to note that this is not a reputational attack on journalists but a plea for proper dissemination of information on mental health.
However, I must state emphatically that not all non-mental health professionals misinform the public and it would be foolhardy of me to imply that all mental health issues should be handled by mental health professionals alone. Asides that being an impossible task, considering the state of our nation, grossly insufficient personnel, and the burgeoning population of people with mental disorders who are estimated to be well into tens of millions of Nigerians. Mental health is everyone’s business and more non-mental health trained personnel are needed to ensure adequate coverage.
Therefore, it is important to have avenues where people can access accurate information in their local space. Media establishments, the entertainment industry, health care providers and regulatory bodies are indispensable to mental health information. Appropriate resources and regular training on proper dissemination of information on mental health should be offered to journalists, media enthusiasts, script writers and content creators, taking into consideration the sensitivities of people with lived experiences and their caregivers. Topics and speakers should be sufficiently researched, and, in some instances, a consultant could be engaged to prevent misinformation.
Mental health professionals may have to explore unfamiliar terrains and go beyond treatment facilities and research institutes. If we must safeguard the mental health of the public, then we would have to embrace more innovative approaches and take ownership of our space. Increased participation in advocacy, training, development of normative documents and more collaboration with the media, entertainment, and other sectors are just as necessary. On balance, all participants require healthy mental states to function. Health and media regulatory bodies should enforce proper practice and management.
Accurate information, responsible and sensitive portrayal of mental health issues should be maintained, ethical guidelines adhered to and sanctions placed where necessary on those who err. While these suggestions are not comprehensive, they speak to the need for accurate mental health information from appropriate sources. It is worthy to note that this is not a reputational attack on journalists but a plea for proper dissemination of information on mental health. For as long as there are no checks in the media or medical space, the proliferation of charlatans and the danger they portend to the trusting public will continue to thrive.
Margaret Uddin-Ojeahere, is a psychiatrist and Fellow of the West African College of Physicians.
Also Published on Premium Times Newspaper – https://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/607148-broadcast-media-and-mental-health-by-margaret-uddin-ojeahere.html?tztc=1