A depressed man.[photo/img.purch.com/rnb]For starters, many people who suffer from depression, which is one amongst many other mental illnesses, do not even recognize the symptoms of this illness, and, therefore, the root cause can go unattended to for long. Additionally, persons suffering from mental illnesses may resort to alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism, reducing the probability of getting proper treatment.
Of greater concern though is the stigma that comes with mental illness. There is a disturbing discrimination of how mental health is handled by government policy, legal and regulatory framework, family, employers, medical insurance companies, education institutions, Judiciary and even health institutions, which discourages those with mental health issues from seeking help.
There is certainly a need to dig into the unexplained reasons for the upsurge in cases of teenage suicide, drugs, and alcoholism, violence, and divorce in the family units to how many of these are as a result of undiagnosed and/or untreated mental health issues.
The deliberate new focus on mental health and its impact on the quality of life and economic development specifically by both World Health Organisation and Sustainable Development Goals provides a great opportunity for the government and mental health stakeholders to initiate programmes that will give mental health the attention it deserves.