You are mad! (Afia akpa 2)

Picture used for illustrative purposes 

The mentally challenged individuals in Nigeria are totally on their own, if their families do not find a way of taking care of them, no one will take up that responsibility. I have seen how mentally unstable people are cared for in more developed countries particularly in the United States of America.

Some of them look so good that I see no difference between them and me. They talk intelligently and look really calm and clean which leaves one wondering what the true definition of mental instability is. What it really takes is for the right drugs to be taken as and when due but who cares and who will bear the cost?

Here in our country, we only regard those who roam our streets naked or who make no sense when they speak as the only mentally unstable ones. We neglect equally serious mental cases like Clinical Depression characterised by loss of interest in activities and depressed mood, Anxiety Disorder which causes severe anxiety and feelings of worry and Bipolar Disorder associated with episodes of mood swings, depressive lows and overexcited heights. There is Schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder, Obsessive Compulsory Disorder (OCD, I want a steward with this so the person can keep my house sparkling clean.lol) and even Attention Deficiency Syndrome (ADS, I know I have this)

Seriously though, these are issues that we neglect in our society that have in a way led to several tragedies. A man who abuses his wife to the point of death is obviously very sick likewise the woman who plans and executes the murder of her husband. Everyone is regarded as same and so there is no distinction which should determine the levels of attention that individuals receive.

For instance, there is nothing that differentiates ordinary people from those with mental challenges; they are all bundled together and treated same way whereas the person who is mentally challenged should be given special attention.

In more organised societies, individuals are evaluated to know the type of mental illness that they suffer from. The appropriate drugs are approved and caregivers are appointed to ensure that such people are well taken care of and possibly cured of their ailment or managed to a good extent.

These special individuals belong to the authorities, the government takes care of them and sees to it that they are well catered to and not abused or discriminated against for who they are and what they suffer from. Government takes care of everything about them; accommodation, education, medicals and entire wellbeing. Of course I am not talking about Nigeria.

Being mentally unstable in Nigeria must be a really difficult thing, first some family and friends desert the sufferer and the government does absolutely nothing to cater to the needs of our special people, they roam the streets freely and some of the females get pregnant, have their babies on the streets and roam around with their babies till the evil men who impregnate them in the dead of the night trail them and steal their babies from them. What a cruel country we live in.

I beg to digress, the authorities are more interested in arresting innocent citizens who try to earn a living through street hawking, and they put them in trucks, detain them and then collect their money in the name of fines, set them free and re-arrest them. Yet they ignore those who really need to be taken off the streets and given proper care and attention. No, government here does not want to spend money on its citizens.

Mental illness remains a plague in our society; unfortunately I do not see any recourse in the nearest future. I applaud individuals and not-for-profit organisations that are powering in this very tough terrain and trying to make a difference in the lives of these forgotten ones and as we like to say, “Their reward is in heaven”.

On a final note, please spare a thought for families dealing with one or two mentally challenged persons and the sufferers themselves, whether caused by ganja or jazz or hardship or it’s hereditary; they need our empathy and sometimes sympathy. Whether self inflicted or not, caused by depression or pregnancy or years of incarceration or unknown causes, these people are human beings just like us and should be treated no less than the rest of us!

I will not fail to mention that a lot of us are raving lunatics but just fail to realise it, if you are hot tempered, you are mad, you lie too much, you are mad, always anxious? Mad as hell, if you are violent, you are crazy, you gossip a lot, you are mad, you love sex? You are mad and yours even has a name.lol. you don’t like sex? You are mad indeed. I could go on and on.

On a final final note, please get yourself mentally evaluated today . Bye!