A NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisation, LG Rhythms Foundation, has donated home appliances and medical kits to psychiatric hospitals and homes in Lagos to help address the rising menace of depression in the country.
It made donations to 68 Nigeria Army Reference Hospital, Yaba and other psychiatric homes in Lagos during its yearly medical outreach against depression at the weekend.
In a chat with newsmen, the 2023 Lagos Connect Ambassador, Mrs. Dayo Igbeta, said this year’s medical outreach focused on depression, following the harsh economic situation in the country, such as instability, recession, inflation and war that have affected people.
According to her, people with depression need care, support and help to survive the situation, while cautioning against stigmatisation.
“People should discuss their condition with their doctors if they can’t tell it to people around them. It is also good for us to check on our health regularly,” she advised.
Chairman, LG Rhythms Foundation 2023 session, Kareem Arigbabu, said that depression is continuous and will take years before it will be reduced to the barest minimum. He said it is the reason the foundation, as part of its yearly activities to address diseases or ailments, focused on depression and provide assistance to curb the menace.
Arigbabu said the Foundation had donated luxury and medical kits to psychiatric centres, as many of them have obsolete and non-functional equipment.
“This year, we decided to go to medical centres, psychiatric homes and places where we see people that are depressed.
“We talk to them, teach them certain ways of adjusting themselves to the reality of life to prevent depression from setting in,” he said.
A Consultant Psychiatrist at 68 Nigeria Army Reference Hospital, Dr. Akinwande Oguntuase, noted that while depression is caused by certain factors, it is still under-diagnosed in Nigeria.
According to him, there are over 1.5 million people suffering from depression yearly in Nigeria as estimated by the World Health Organisation (WHO). He commended the medical outreach by the Foundation, stating that it is a platform to educate and inform people about depression, the causes and how to address the menace
The psychiatrist also commended the Foundation for bringing the outreach to military barracks, noting that several of them have their relations fighting war, terrorism and insurgency, which have led to depression.
