A Psychologist, Dr Casmir Nnemeka, says Nigerians should undergo mental health evaluation every 90 days to ensure their mental well-being.
Nnemeka, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Peace Centre, an NGO, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday.
He decried the poor attitude of the public toward their mental health, noting that majority of Nigerians perceive mental health evaluation as only meant for mentally challenged persons.“Every individual irrespective of status, background, tribe, religion is expected to access such services every three months.
“Every human irrespective of class faces one societal ills or the other, stress and other challenges that could affect the way they reason or interact.
“Such challenges are predisposing factors to depression, anxiety and could lead to suicide, if not properly checked,’’ he said.
The psychologist said people who react negatively to trivial issues, misplace documents in workplaces, exhibit irrational behaviours need psychological evaluation.
“If you are mentally balanced every other thing would fall in place because mental well-being is key to total wellness of every individual.
“When you are mentally okay or balanced, you will hardly fall sick, have no need to visit the doctor because your brain is wired like every other electronic gadget, when is pressured or stressed, it misbehaves.
“When it misbehaves, once in a while it sends the wrong signal to the wrong place. This invariably affects your pathological health, relationship with people, family, your attitude and your job.
“So, it is very important to do a mental health evaluation every three months to flush out every negative thing that affects us in our workplaces, homes, the company we keep and things we see.
“Our brain is like a car, when it is in use there are tiny wear and tear, those things have to be checked at regular intervals to ensure smooth driving,” he noted.
He urged the public to make out time to visit a psychologists every 90 days to ensure they are mentally stable.
“No man runs a car with faulty engine and expects a smooth journey to his destination,” Nnemeka said.
(NAN)