Why Mental Health Care is Important for the Sustainable Development of Africa.

Video captions as below:

“Mental health is already a widely popularized subject in the west. There is a keen interest and a gradual understanding in the idea that leading a fulfilling and happy life is not dependent on matters relating to your material possessions nor the office in which you sit, but in how you choose to live your life and the actions in which you choose to take in each present moment. People are understanding that they need to take better care of themselves in living well and as such, there is some force of the will motivating more people to exercise regularly and eat better as a start. There are organisations on social media and government-backed schemes that are pushing campaigns to alert and educate the public of the importance of their mental health which is gaining some traction in the public eye.”

“In Africa, mental health as a general topic is not priority number one in most places – there are famines, conflicts, corruption and humanitarian disasters that need addressing, and rightly so. Yet, in all these crises in African states, to address the mental well-being of the people affected is not the main concern, though all these tragedies primarily negatively affect the mental conditions of those affected. This state in which the mental well-being of the general public is neglected under such conditions is borne out of a lack of resources in addressing a crisis of such a magnitude and also as a result of ignorance.”

“In general, there are outdated attitudes towards the mentally ill in Africa and a lack of empathy and understanding of their conditions – especially prevalent for those with severe disorders such as psychosis and bipolar. As a result, they are sometimes driven out of their communities, actions taken out of fear that their condition and bizarre behaviour was brought on as a result of witchcraft or demonic possession. At other times, families and loved ones seek the help of traditional healers in prayer camps who subject these unfortunate men, women and children to conditions remnant of precolonial slavery.”

“Africa is a continent blessed with a plentiful, hardworking and resourceful population. The continent has been stricken with misfortune throughout its history and most states have been led by leaders who have put their own needs above the needs of the people they are put in power to serve. African leaders, businesses and organisations must work towards addressing the mental health crisis in their respective states if they are to realize sustainable development, and prosperity. The productivity, motivation and intention of each individual is interlinked to their mental condition – an individual in a bad condition can disrupt harmony within any community. A state in which the general population is in a poor mental condition will find less economic growth, as a result of an unmotivated workforce and find further strain on public health services. There, in such a situation, there will be higher rates of crime, civil unrest and on average, a poor quality of life for the general population.”

“Mental health is to be reassigned priority number one in African countries who hope to realize sustainable development and an improvement in the quality of life of their citizens. What else is a government brought into office to do than to improve the quality of the lives of those they serve? Addressing the mental health crisis in Africa will lead to a happier, empowered and productive workforce and if the states are governed rightly, this will be the foundations that lift the continent out of poverty. This is the importance of mental health in Africa.”