The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) has raised concerns over the country’s severe shortage of mental health professionals, revealing that fewer than 200 psychiatrists are responsible for the mental well-being of Nigeria’s population of over 200 million.

The APN President, Taiwo Obindo, a professor, highlighted this alarming disparity during the opening of the association’s 55th Annual General Conference and Scientific Meeting in Ilorin. The event, themed “Prioritising Mental Health Needs of Nigeria in a Depressed Economy: An Urgent Call for Integrated, Comprehensive, and Sustainable Interventions,” emphasized the critical state of mental health care in Nigeria.

Obindo attributed the dwindling number of mental health professionals to the ongoing “japa syndrome,” a term referring to the emigration of skilled workers from Nigeria. He stressed that those remaining in the country are overburdened and underpaid, a situation that urgently needs to be addressed.

He further lamented the lack of governmental focus on mental health, contrasting Nigeria with countries like Canada, which has a dedicated Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. In Nigeria, however, mental health remains a sub-program under the Department of Public Health within the Federal Ministry of Health.

Obindo also pointed out that Nigeria’s budgetary allocation for health is less than 6%, far below the 15% minimum recommended by the 2001 Abuja Declaration.

Despite these challenges, the APN has made significant strides, notably with the establishment of the Mental Health Programme and the enactment of the Mental Health Act of 2021, which replaced the outdated Lunacy Act of 1958—a legislative breakthrough after more than 30 years of advocacy.

Delivering the keynote lecture, Owoidoho Udofia, a professor from the University of Calabar, highlighted a study indicating that 12% of Nigerians suffer from mental and behavioral disorders. He noted that cultural factors and somatic symptoms often obscure the diagnosis of mental illnesses, leading to underdiagnosis by general practitioners in teaching hospitals.

Udofia dismissed colonial-era misconceptions that Africans were not susceptible to depression, emphasizing that mental illness in Nigeria extends beyond conditions like schizophrenia and psychosis. He called for improved diagnostic practices and increased research to address the rising cases of substance abuse and other mental health issues.

“There is a need for better identification and management of mental illnesses in Nigeria’s healthcare system,” he concluded.