WORLD NEWS | Nigeria’s policies have made strides, but not enough

NEW YORK, April 17 (360info) Nigeria passed a new mental health bill in January 2023. It’s been a long process, but people have questioned whether it’s enough to protect those at risk of suicide or self-harm.

The National Mental Health Act 2021 replaces the Insanity Act 1958, which deems individuals with mental illness as dangerous and a threat to themselves and society.

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The colonial-influenced bill lacks a clear definition of mental health and is inconsistent with global mental health and human rights policy, requiring segregation and denying individuals with mental health conditions their basic human rights.

While the new mental health bill is revolutionary in its language, recognition of human rights and commitment to promoting mental health, it fails to address the criminalization of suicide.

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Nigeria remains one of at least 17 countries with active anti-suicide laws.

The criminalization of suicide remains a major threat to progress in mental health in Nigeria. Several groups, including the Nigerian Association of Psychiatrists, have been vocal about the need for change. The association warned of the dangers of criminalizing suicide and argued that a more humane response must be given to individuals who contemplate suicide.

Organizations such as Mental Health Nigeria have partnered with other NGOs to launch a petition to decriminalize attempted suicide in Nigeria, which has received more than 3,000 signatures. Other organizations, such as the Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative and Sunshine Series, continue to raise awareness and launch hotlines dedicated to supporting individuals in times of crisis.

Nigeria doesn’t have to look for examples of how the new bill works. In February 2023, Ghana took a major step towards decriminalizing suicide with the passage of the Criminal Offenses (Amendment) Bill 2021.

A report previously commissioned by the bill showed most suicide attempts were from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and cited issues such as health, poverty and family problems as the main motivations for the attempted suicide.

Given the economic, political and sociocultural similarities between Nigeria and Ghana, valuable lessons can be drawn. Ghana is a prime example of a country that listens to the mental health issues of its people and is making the necessary changes to improve mental health outcomes.

Nigeria’s failure to decriminalize suicide poses a major challenge to progress and contradicts the content of the mental health bill. The laws outlined in Section 327 of the Penal Code and Section 231 of the Penal Code are inconsistent with the objectives of the Mental Health Act.

The bill has several goals, including protecting “people with mental and substance use disorders from discrimination, harm, and unfair treatment by employers, academic institutions, and institutions.” Criminalizing suicide undermines this goal.

Revisions to mental health policy will require corresponding revisions to criminal law to reflect the positive changes. While the Mental Health Act promotes treatment and mental health promotion, the Nigerian prison system is not rehabilitative, and inhumane conditions are likely to lead to new mental health conditions or exacerbation of existing conditions.

Individuals imprisoned under these anti-suicide laws face increased discrimination and criminal records upon release, making it extremely difficult to integrate into the community.

Criminal and penal laws discriminate against people with mental health problems. Nigeria’s Mental Health Act emphasizes treatment and recovery, but the success of these efforts requires individuals to feel safe enough to talk about their mental health conditions and seek help.

This is not possible if individuals dealing with mental health issues risk persecution from their families, communities and authorities.

Given Nigeria’s collective culture, the criminalization of suicide has profound implications for individuals, their families and the larger community.

The criminalization of attempted suicide hampers suicide surveillance, which can provide relevant data and suicide rates in Nigeria for effective prevention programmes.

If the motivation for this law is based on the sanctity of life, it can protect life by protecting human rights while creating timely avenues for individuals in the community to seek support. Faith or spirituality can be harnessed as a positive value by promoting civic engagement of religious leaders in the community and by using religious institutions as safe havens for those with mental health issues.

Religious leaders act as gatekeepers and can be trained to provide lay mental health support.

Rather than focusing on legal consequences as a suicide prevention strategy, the focus should be on promoting mental health education and awareness to reduce suicide stigma. Interventions in practice and policy are urgently needed.

A good first step is to establish a national helpline for mental health support. The toll-free helpline Sunshine Series has set up to address psychosocial issues in the capital Abuja during the COVID pandemic could be evaluated for rollout across Nigeria. (360info.org)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)