Mental health  experts at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) Neuro-psychiatric Hospital during this year’s World Mental Health Day celebration in Rivers State raised alarm over increasing mental illness. Two Psychiatrists, Dr Chidozie Chukujeku and Dr Nkpobu Kennedy alerted on the number of young people undergoing treatment at the hospital.
They attributed the cases to the increasing consumption of drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, local gin (Ogogoro), heroin, carnabis, among other hard drugs, blaming it on lack of adequate awareness. They said the awareness is low.
The prerequisite for the development and the proper utilisation of the natural resources of a nation is the development and maintenance of its human resources.
The protection of the mental health of all citizens is rapidly becoming a global concern of all persons, not merely on social welfare or humanitarian ideas but avoiding waste and those habits that cause mental illness.
The scope of the problems imposed by mental health penetrate political action, industrial productivity, family psychodymics and community life as well as education and planning. That is why practical moves and techniques in preserving mental health have posed serious challenges to psychiatrists, psychologists, criminologists, educationists and counselors, nurses, social workers, administrators, politicians and the clergy.
The problem of mental illness is much more than indicated by statistics in any society and mental illnesses range from the psychoses to the neuroses. To be specific, they include diseases such as schizophrenia, depression, hysteria, episodes of minor mental illnesses in which persons become liability to themselves, their families and their neighbours. Victims of mental illnesses become unable to communicate rationally, have a nervous breakdown, unable to work to support their families, look after their children.
They become irresponsible and run into conflict with constituted authorities or with law enforcement agents. In fact, a mentally deranged person is totally disorganized. Some of these illnesses may not last long but they may recur or have a disastrous effect on children of patients, their marriages, neighbourhood or work life if no treatment is available.
The causes of the various mental illnesses can be diagnosed on the basis of a single or combinations of hereditary, environmental and experiential factors. In other words, the make-up of an individual at any given time is a function of nature and nurture, hereditary property with which he or she started and the influences upon him or her of what has happened subsequently. The genetic equipment sets a limit to the individuals potentialities, according to Curran in  1965.
The treatment of mental illness has shifted from asylums to psychiatric  hospitals and community care and rehabilitation centres and this has led to the interest in mental hygiene all the world over. One can be mentally disturbed due to unnecessary strain and stress on his mind. He might become so disgusted with life, that he attempts to commit suicide to end his life.
There is an urgent need for general public involvement in the mental health of the citizens and the creation of awareness in general public for mental hygiene as a movement. The first association for mental hygiene was formed in 1919 which grew into an International Committee for Mental Hygiene. In Nigeria, besides professional bodies and international affiliations, the Federal Government has involved itself drastically in mental hygiene through legislation such as the National Drug Decree and its enforcement agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The prevention  of psychiatric illness is closely related to mental hygiene, that is, the study of measures to protect mental health, measure derived from consideration of the influence of numerous environmental factors on human health. It is associated with Pschopro-psychiatric illnesses, hence a major role is played by general prophylactic measures.
For instance, the eradication of infectious diseases, the elimination of occupational intoxication and cases of poisoning in every day life are equivalent to an absolute prophylaxis nervous and psychic illness.
It is pertinent, therefore to point out that absolute prophylaxis of psychiatric diseases tend to be based on nation-wide measures to control infections, intoxications and other harmful environmental influences. The programme on Health for All by the year 2020 widely embraced the preventive aspect of mental illness.
The life of man consists of socially useful activities, thoughts and work, so the study of their influence on health must be seen as one of the major tasks of mental hygiene. This is because man to a general extent, is the product of the social and historical development of society.
All his attributes, i.e consciousness, thinking, speech, will, character and moral qualities are the result of his intercourse with other people, and of his social upbringing.
Mental hygiene is grouped under six groups such as self-actualisation, happiness, economic efficiency, harmonious existence, human relationship and civil responsibilities. Mental hygiene helps individuals to participate fully in these human activities and anyone who is not able to feature in them is mentally deranged, and not living effective life.
Mental hygiene is an interdisciplinary affair involving medical, educational, counseling, occupational, psychological forensic as well as policy making and requires the training of medical personnel who can understand people’s psychological problems and help them to meet their demands. There is the need for the development of preventive and curative programmes in the home, school and community.
Mental health is the ability to adjust satisfactorily to the various strains and stresses of the environment we meet in life and mental hygiene is not a passive acceptance of life and its conditions. It is a life in which one’s potentialities are coming to full development, in which one’s inner nature expresses itself freely and is not warped, suppressed or denied.
A mentally health person is one who is adaptable and resident in mind, socially adaptable and participates in social activities, whose desires are in harmony with socially approved goals, emotionally satisfied and has adequate insight into his own conduct, enthusiastic and reasonable as well as has developed good habits in various aspects of life and definite attitudes towards value of life and a stable life philosophy.
Mental health is a condition which permits the maximum development of physical, intellectual and constructive emotional states of the individual in order to be able to contribute maximally to the welfare of the society and to realize his ideas and aspirations in life. Any person who is unable to satisfy these qualities or virtues is a certified mad man or woman. So, our various psychiatric hospitals, governments, psychiatrists, and the general society and social welfare organisations and bodies must take this issue more seriously than ever in preventing and curing the mentally affected citizens.
There should be increased awareness campaign on mental health if our youths must be the future leaders they are expected to be.