A new website is in need of a savvy and highly experienced social/digital media marketer to help it aggressively drive traffic to its platform. Do you have the skills to help a nascent website have decent traffic in the cut throat competition world of blogging? Are you creative and extremely innovative as a social media marketer?
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A media firm is in need of a social media marketer to make the daily produced contents for their website go viral and have mind boggling traffic. If you think you have what it takes to deliver without supervision. Please send a WhatsApp message to Francis on 07033030491.

Are you a blogger frustrated by not making money off your craft? Are you an aspiring blogger looking to make money off blogging? Then look no further as a platform dedicated to helping bloggers monetize their blogs has made its debut in the market. Our dedicated team will help you monetize your blogs and you will get sustainable and regular monthly income.
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A soon to be formed youth focused political party is in need of a National Publicity Secretary from the North Central Region of Nigeria who is based in Abuja. He or she must be very vast and extremely knowledgeable about Nigerian and African politics. He or she must have either journalistic or public relations experience and must be a grassroots mobilizer and have the uncanny ability to be able to galvanize millions of youths both online and offline at short notice.
If you think you fit the bill, please contact Comrade Tony Ademiluyi on +2348167677075.

A soon to be registered political party backed by a youth centric ideology aimed at capturing political power in 2027 is building a nationwide party structure. We need interested and progressive like minded budding politicians who desire to effect a positive change in Nigeria to join the National Executive Committee as well as the State Executive Committees across the 36 States.
If you know you fit the bill, please send a WhatsApp message to Tony Ademiluyi on +2348167677075

Doracare Behavioural Foundation, an organization whose mission is to improve mental wellness for all ages through education and awareness about mental health disorders as well interventions that promote mental wellness, is recruiting a Program Intern to be a part of her organization.

Duties would include:

1. Support with event and program planning, logistics and execution.
2. Create content for the Foundation's educational materials, promotional
materials, social media pages, website etc.
3. Carry out data entry and database management.
4. Research and draft application for grants, partnership and fundraising.
opportunities for the Foundation.
5. Draft minutes of meetings of the Foundation with stakeholders.
6. Provide administrative support to the Foundation.
6. Carry out other duties as may be assigned.


Requirements for ideal candidate
- Must be a graduate ( B.Sc or HND)
- Must be proficient with the use of Microsoft office
- Must be able to carry out basic graphics and video editing with social media applications

- Must have a passion for social innovation— finding creative solutions to
meet the needs of the nation's most vulnerable

Interested candidates should send their application to worksenseng@gmail.com

Applications are open till 21st August 2023

An online publication headquartered in Lagos requires the services of freelance education reporters based in Lagos, Abuja, and RIvers to work as freelance education reporters or correspondents for the media house.

What is required is a story focusing on private secondary schools in the state of the reporter's residence once a week.

If you have a passion for education reporting and are resident in any of the aforementioned states, please send a whatsapp message to Tony Ademiluyi on +2348167677075.

Buzztimes.ng is a user generated online platform aimed at amplifying the reach of online content creators and helping them to monetize their creative output.
We are in need of intern content creators and digital marketers.
If you desire to learn from one of the best in online journalism and horn your skills for global competitiveness contact Tony Ademiluyi on WhatsApp at +2348167677075

Last month, a big law firm, Hogan Lovells in Washington DC fired a highly experienced lawyer, Robin Keller after she courageously defended the reversal of the murderous Roe v Wade which was largely responsible for the cruel murder of about 64 million American babies.

She wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal where the law firm accused her of racism and harassment for simply sharing her views during a women’s conference.

She wrote: “If this could happen to me, anyone who expresses a disfavored opinion—even on a matter of law—can expect the same treatment: immediate cancellation without concern for client interests, due process or fairness.”

She went further to say: “I noted that many jurists and commentators believed Roe had been wrongly decided,” Keller continued. “… I referred to numerous reports of disproportionately high rates of abortion in the black community, which some have called a form of genocide. I said I thought this was tragic.”

As reported by Life news, Immediately, she said other women on the call began to verbally attack her, accusing her of racism and harassment and demanding that she stop talking. Later that day, Keller said the law firm suspended her, and, a few weeks later, fired her for allegedly violating the company anti-harassment policy.

Keller said the firm “blackballed” her after “an unblemished 44-year career,” and she believes it may do the same to others who dare to speak their opinions.

“What was shocking, at least to me, was how eagerly Hogan Lovells kowtowed to a woke faction inside its workforce,” she said. “Several women on the call—as well as male lawyers at the firm—contacted me later to offer private support for my right to express my views. Those former colleagues must now realize that they are in a hostile work environment.”

According to Hot Air, someone complained about Keller to the website Above The Law, which published a column celebrating the “welcome consequences” of expressing pro-life views and accusing her of “traumatizing” other lawyers.

In a statement to the Original Jurisdiction blog, a Hogan Lovells spokesperson insisted that the firm supports its employees sharing their personal views.

“As a firm we fully encourage our people to share their views on important issues that matter to them, but we expect our people to conduct themselves in accordance with firm policies. We value our differences, which make us stronger as a firm,” the spokesperson said.

This week, another female lawyer at a major law firm shared a similar story with the Original Jurisdiction blog. The woman’s name and that of her firm were kept private because she is in the process of leaving.

Here’s more from the blog:

After Keller’s op-ed was published, I heard from a Biglaw equity partner who’s in the process of parting ways with her firm after she refused to embrace the post-Dobbs order. …

Here’s what happened, according to this partner. After she declined to take on pro-bono work of a pro-choice bent or to get involved in other reproductive-rights initiatives post-Dobbs—saying she was too busy, not mentioning any opposition to abortion or to Dobbs—her office managing partner asked her, “Am I correct in assuming you’re pro-life?” After she didn’t deny this (because she actually is pro-life), he called her racist (because of the disproportionate impact of Dobbs on minority communities), let her know she was not going to be working with his clients, and started undermining her in various ways, large and small.

The woman said she basically is being forced out of the firm.

A growing number of pro-life Americans are reporting being fired from their jobs for sharing their views opposing the killing of unborn babies in abortions. This week, Florida Politics reported about a former hospital chaplain in Florida who is suing Orlando Health after he says he was fired for describing abortion as “immoral” in a personal Facebook post.

It is crystal clear that the liberals are hell-bent on entrenching a culture of silence in the name of ‘human rights’ and ‘equality.’

Conservatives shouldn’t be discouraged despite the virulent opposition to their well-formed views as the quest for genuine liberty will become reality with the blood of their conscience.

For her brave pro-life decision in an increasingly atheistic and secular world which is largely liberal and pro-choice, she is our personality of the week.
https://thecradlelife.com/personality-of-the-week/meet-lawyer-robin-keller-who-was-fired-because-of-her-pro-life-beliefs/

The Cradle Life Forum – www.thecradlelife.com – a Nigerian-based online forum that started in December 2022 with the vision of global expansion is looking for advertising executives based in Nigeria to work remotely.

As a Conservative forum, we celebrate wedding pictures that reflect marriages being between one man and one woman as well as family albums comprising a man, woman, and children.

Our adverts executive preference is a conservative person who shares the ideals of pro-life and can help bring us these adverts by forming sturdy relationships with fellow Conservatives.

The adverts executive is entitled to 30% of the adverts revenue for any adverts brought in as a way of remuneration as well as a monthly remuneration.

If you think you fit the description, please reach me at anthonyademiluyi@thecradlelife.com or send a WhatsApp message to +2348167677075.

The Cradle Life Forum – www.thecradlelife.com – a Nigerian-based online forum that started in December 2022 is looking for volunteer advertising executives based in Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada to work remotely.

As a Conservative forum, we celebrate wedding pictures that reflect marriage being between one man and one woman as well as family albums comprising a man, woman, and children.

Our adverts executive preference is a conservative person who shares the ideals of the pro-life ideology and can help bring us these adverts by forming sturdy relationships with fellow Conservatives.

Despite the volunteer role, the adverts executive is entitled to 30% of the adverts revenue for any adverts brought in as a way of remuneration.

If you think you fit the description, please reach me at anthonyademiluyi@thecradlelife.com or send a WhatsApp message to +2348167677075.

The Cradle Life Forum – www.thecradlelife.com – a Nigerian-based online forum that started in December 2022 is looking for volunteer advertising executives based in Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada to work remotely.
As a Conservative forum, we celebrate wedding pictures that reflect marriage being between one man and one woman as well as family albums comprising a man, woman, and children.
Our adverts executive preference is for a Catholic who can help bring us these adverts by forming sturdy relationships with fellow Catholic and Christian Conservatives.
Despite the volunteer role, the adverts executive is entitled to 30% of the adverts revenue for any adverts brought in as a way of remuneration.
If you think you fit the description, please reach me at anthonyademiluyi@yahoo.com or send a WhatsApp message to +2348167677075

The Black Lives Matter Movement which rose to global prominence when George Floyd was murdered in the hands of a cold-blooded Caucasian Cop in one of the worst forms of police brutality ever known in American history has been a sturdy voice for the oppressed and marginalized black community in the world’s most powerful nation.

Despite the gains made by the civil rights movement largely anchored by brave black heroes like Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson etc and which culminated in the ascension of Barack Obama as the first black President of Uncle Sam in 2008, many blacks in the US not only suffer poverty in that they operate at the bottom end of the spectrum, their human rights are in most cases greatly abused with little being done to redress and reverse this ugly trend.

Johnathon and Leon Davis, Jr do not lay any claim to being black human rights activists as they are no different from the regular Joe Blocks that dot the landscape of the Black American Community. However, the duo who are actually father and son share a common belief in the use of the media especially the new media to give a sturdy voice to their fellow Black Brethren and largely anchor it as a potent instrument of social change for the overall good of the Afro American community whose ancestors bore the brunt of the sinister Trans-Atlantic Slavery and once upon a time in American history weren’t legally regarded as full human beings. America, ironically built on the foundation of ‘liberty’ and ‘justice’ which saw revolutionaries inspired by the radical writings of Thomas Jefferson and Tom Paine took up arms against the British Crown and eventually defeated the ruthless army of King George III. The blacks who were then slaves were forcefully conscripted to fight their war but weren’t released from slavery after independence or uhuru came for the White Americans. How ironic!

As reported by Afro.com: The father and son dynamic duo launched, “Black Men Vent Too,” a podcast where the purpose was to inspire and help Black men understand who they are so that they can fulfill their true God-ordained potential. It’s a platform that allows Black men to tell their stories unapologetically and it’s truly a place where they can vent.

How interesting, that the podcast is titled “Black Men Vent Too” and not just Black Men Vent. The “too” in the title boldly implies that it’s acceptable for Black men to vent like everyone else. Being cultured in a western ideology that does not allow boys, Black or White, to cry because it is perceived to be a demonstration of weakness, Black men often suppress their emotions. Depression and chronic issues are the long-term consequences of that emotional repression.

Davis believes that men vent, but unfortunately, no one listens. “LeBron [James] was told to ‘shut up and dribble,’” explained Davis. “When venting, we are perceived as weak. When that attitude is persistently pushed in the presence of Black men’s spirits, suppression becomes a typical response.”

Davis’ dad added that often, men don’t vent because of their efforts to maintain the macho image of being strong.

Like so many podcasts, the show was spurred into existence due to COVID-19. Pre-pandemic, Davis Jr. opened his home to have conversations with young men. Once a month, he would host an evening meeting with seven or eight young men, while food and a listening ear served as the provisions.

“I wanted them to talk about their issues and about their life.” Davis Jr., a minister of 17 years, continued. “I just wanted to share with them from my perspective just a little bit to help them along the way.”

When COVID-19 reared its infectious head, the gatherings stopped. The gestation period during quarantine had the duo independently thinking of avenues to continue driving those enriching conversations. Gathering in their driveway, Davis and Davis Jr., in conjunction with Mrs. Davis and Joshua, the youngest Davis, developed the vision. Following a four-month procrastination period, the podcast debuted.

”Black Men Vent Too” has recorded more than 50 episodes and airs every Monday at 11 am CST. Each month represents a new season, a new topic, and far-ranging conversations that include fatherhood, depression, grief, marriage and relationships, and the absence of happiness.

The subject of discussion for August is “Raw Venting.” On a recent episode – “BMI: Raw Venting in a Black Man,” with guest, Marcus Johnson shared his frustration about happiness and how Black men too often don’t experience it.

According to Davis, the “Raw Venting” episode is venting on steroids.

“With venting, you may say some stuff; stuff slips out. Venting should never come with restrictions or boundaries,” explained Davis. “With our platform, we’re not under stepping or overstepping. If we’re bringing brothers on to vent, we know Black folk use colorful words. We’re not advocating that, but if you have some things stirring up your emotions, you might use some colorful words.”

Based in Nashville, Tenn., ”Black Men Vent Too” brings that unique southern flavor.

Davis, 26, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi with a degree in Exercise Science, brings that millennial flare, while his dad, pursuing his Masters in Pastoral Studies, adds the “OG swag.”

“I like how God gave us this vision because we never perceived it to be a father-son duo. We just wanted to be two dudes trying to give back to our community, and we wanted to do it from a younger and older perspective,” explained Davis Jr.

Davis added: How often do you see a father and son in the same room doing something like this?

“With our guest, Davis puts his spin on the issue, and I add mine. I try to give a little wisdom, and then he ends up giving me some wisdom too. We’re all learning from each other, but in the midst of it all, it’s just like we’re sitting at the barbershop. We talk, it’s organic, and nothing is scripted, we just go at it.”

Both gentlemen desire to have their voices heard worldwide. However, if they’re not able to partner with some major media platform, experiencing the joy of a Black man telling them that ”Black Men Vent Too” changed the trajectory of their life, would be so rewarding.

Followers can hear “Black Men Vent Too” on the following platforms: Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Anchor, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

It is no news that the blacks in America are grossly underrepresented in the White dominated and controlled American media which makes the latter control the narrative in the telling of African American stories. Oprah Winfrey broke the jinx in the 1980’s and the coming of the new media which has largely democratized the media space is poised to continue the heroic work which Oprah commenced. Let us hope that “Black Men Vent Too” stands the test of time and becomes a force to reckon with in giving a loud voice to the hitherto voiceless African Americans.
SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/09/16/black-men-vent-too-podcast-debuts-in-the-us-by-tony-ademiluyi/

Popular Psychiatrist and current President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) as well as Editorial Adviser to www.africavoiceshq.com, Professor Taiwo Obindo revealed in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria that about sixty (60) million Nigerians suffer from mental illness.

Prof. Obindo, a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Jos and Chairman, Faculty of Psychiatry West African College of Physicians Nigeria Chapter revealed this to the public on Sunday, September 11 in Abuja to journalists.

As reported by Premium Times, he said:

“Mental healthcare is in a sorry state given that we have more than 60 million Nigerians suffering from various mental illnesses and the fact that only about 10 per cent of them were able to access appropriate care.

“We are left with more than 90 per cent who are unable to access care and this group is called the treatment gap for mental illnesses,’’ Prof Obindo said.

He said the gap was as a result of various factors like the knowledge gap in which people do not have appropriate information about the causes and treatment for mental illnesses.

Prof Obindo said some factors hindering the management of mental illness in Nigeria included myths and traditional beliefs; inadequate mental health facilities and a number of mental health professionals.

According to him, the few available mental health facilities were located in the city centres.

“Knowing that 60 per cent of Nigerians live in the rural areas, they do not have access to appropriate care and have to travel long distances to access facilities,” Prof Obindo said.

He also said that the number of mental health practitioners was low as it fell below the ratio recommended by the World Health Organization.

According to him, the few that were trained were often eager to leave the country.

“The environment in which we practice, the security situation and the remuneration that people were given in the country tend to push them out.

“And then, of course, the pull factor from the developed countries where they tend to poach on the already trained medical practitioners in the country, particularly the psychiatrists,” he said.

Prof Obindo said that the cost of hiring practitioners in low medium income countries was low; so ”it was easier for developed countries to poach the already made products rather than training such professionals locally.”

He said there was a need for Nigeria to implement its Mental Health Policy on the practice of psychiatry.

Prof Obindo added that although the document was last reviewed in 2013, it was not being implemented.

He said one major component of the policy was the integration of mental health into primary healthcare, which was yet to be achieved after nine years.

The psychiatrist added that the law operating in the country was the “lunacy act”, which was first enacted in 1916 and reviewed in 1958.

”The Mental Health Bill by the mental health stakeholders led by the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN), in conjunction with the National Assembly and the Ministry of Health was yet to be assented to by the President.

“This is the most recent effort in 30 years,” he said.

This is alarming when you carefully consider the fact that based on the 2006 census, the entire population of Nigeria is slightly above 200 million which means that if these figures from the renowned psychiatrist are true, close to a quarter of the population is bogged down by a mental illness.

This is more worrisome in a country where there is no efficient universal healthcare coverage for its citizens especially the vulnerable. Psychiatric patients pay through their nose to purchase their medications and the fate of the in patients is worse as the cost of being kept even in a government psychiatric facility is rather prohibitive especially to the common man which explains why the masses run to religious charlatans for medical help.

This figure is higher than the 25 million that the Federal House of Representatives put as the total number of the mentally challenged in the supposed ‘Giant of Africa’ which sadly due to bad leadership has mere feet of clay.

I have campaigned vigorously in an earlier article for President Muhammdu Buhari to sign the mental health bill into law which promises to greatly reform the beleaguered sector as it is a gargantuan shame that over six decades after political independence from Great Britain, we are still stuck with relics of colonial laws on mental health which aren’t autochthonous.

Based on this frightening statistics which has seen the sharp spike in the cases of suicide in the hitherto ‘Most Happy Nation on earth’, I make a passionate plea to President Buhari who has less than a year left in office to sign the mental health bill which has already been passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly into law so that we would no longer be the laughing stock in the international community as smaller countries like South Africa and Ghana have reformed their mental health systems with progressive laws having done away with the vestiges of the legislations by their former colonial overlords.

President Buhari history beckons on you; please do the needful and save this great nation from monumental disaster as a healthy nation is a wealthy one.

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/09/14/shocking-statistics-about-60-million-nigerians-suffer-from-mental-illness-prominent-psychiatrist-by-tony-ademiluyi/

It was the late Pan Africanist and Ghana’s First President, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah who said that political independence is meaningless without economic liberty.

One recurring attribute among the African liberation fighters in the heady days of colonialism was that they focused more on battling for the political independence of their countries while neglecting economic independence which in my humble view is the more important of the two since it has a direct impact in the lives of the hoi polloi that they claim to be fighting for. Whether it was the charismatic approach of the Late Zik of Africa who had his education in the United States that took up arms against their former British Imperial Overlords or the militant strategy of Jomo Kenyatta whose Mau Mau Movement led to the death of hundreds of thousands of his countrymen including the Caucasian British Colonialists, Uhuru meant little or nothing to the Man on the Clapham Omnibus as some even argued that their economic fortune was far better under the White men that their fellow black brothers chased away while purporting to act in their best ‘interest.’

South Africa fondly known as the Rainbow Country because of her diversity and inclusiveness tragically is the archetype of how freedom fighting went wrong which is worthy of critical study by historians and political pundits. Madiba Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress despite their altruism and heroic nationalistic stance failed to carefully factor in the economic independence of the blacks when the walls of apartheid finally fell in 1994 with the election of Mandela as the country’s first black President with the blacks having ruled the country since then.

Economic power lies squarely in the hands of the descendants of the Boers which has made a cruel mockery of all the decades of anti-apartheid struggle leading the blacks to vent their anger and unleash their venom on their fellow Africans resident there as economic migrants ironically the leaders of these other Africans massively supported the black liberation struggle in the Rainbow country financially, diplomatically and politically.

As reported by IT Web, The South African Depression and Anxiety Group says there are 23 known cases of suicide in SA every day, and for every person that commits suicide, 10 have attempted it.

This grim situation led to the launch of Panda which has as its main thrust the agenda to greatly democratize mental healthcare assistance in South Africa. The Panda app provides community support, expert assistance and useful mental health information.

In an e-mail interview with ITWeb, Alon Lits, co-owner and co-CEO of Panda, explained: “Our mission at Panda is to democratise access to mental healthcare. We hope to achieve this byreducing the main barriers which inhibit access to mental health support.”

Users can anonymously join daily, live and audio-only sessions on various topics in the Panda Forest feature, says the company.

“When a user logs into the app, they will see what sessions are lined up for the next few days. A library of mental health-related content (videos, articles, activities) can be accessed and worked through on demand.

“To better understand individual mental health journeys, screening assessments can be completed in the app, after which personalised feedback and suggestions for care are generated for each user,” said Lits.

Users can reach out to a primary mental health professional via the synchronous, text-based support functionality, which is available for eight hours daily, he added.

Mental health professionals such as psychologists and psychiatrists can be accessed through the one-on-one virtual consultations via the booking functionality within the app.

Launched in 2019, the app was initially developed with the help of a dev house in Poland. Earlier this year, Panda moved all its development to its in-house team based in SA.

Although the company will start charging for its services in 2023, Lits says for now, users can benefit from the app free of charge.

Panda has gone on to partner with healthcare corporations such as Medscheme and Fedhealth, to create more access to healthcare workers on the platform.

Lits says the team has received great feedback from users who are benefiting from the app and that validation keeps the team motivated.

I am glad that Panda has berthed in South Africa and hope that it stems the tide in the rising cases of suicide there especially among the black community who sadly live at the bottom end of the spectrum close to three decades after the fall of the sinister apartheid.

A big thumbs up to the brains behind Panda!

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/09/13/app-review-panda-to-the-rescue-in-south-africa-by-tony-ademiluyi/

PREAMBLE

In the previous article—in the part 1 of this series, we discussed on the inevitability as human beings, at times , to make mistakes, fail in planned endeavours or get involved in inevitable bad actions. These could arise from ignorance in the intellect, weakness in the will and the influence of uncontrolled passions. Rather than these mistakes/failures/bad actions becoming sources of despair and despondency, they can be used as opportunities for growth; this requires deep humility and a radical and complete dependence of the person on God the Creator.

Obviously, this is easier said than done; it will require acquiring skills relating to self –awareness and other self-improvement skills and constantly putting them into practice. There will be need to Learn, Re-Learn and Un-Learn as often as necessary to attain this lofty goal of turning all failures, mistakes and inevitable bad actions into opportunities for growth. In this write-up, we shall see how this can be attained. The following attributes are necessary for using all circumstances and events of one’s life as opportunities for growth:

SPORTING SPIRIT

At times you set goals and work towards meeting up with them; when you fail to meet up to expectations, ask yourself ‘WHY’- take note of the answers you get to the “WHY” and work towards rectification and improvement. You may have set unrealistic goals that proved too difficult to meet up with; take a closer look and see how you may reset the goals, starting from “small wins” and gradually, setting the bar higher.

Be determined never to be dismayed or discouraged at failure; accept the fact you have failed immediately, with no excuses, subterfuges, blame –game, escapism and other negative reactions. Be ready to learn from mistakes. Continue to be hopeful and optimistic, performing your duties faithfully and perseveringly.

SPIRIT OF SERVICE

Nations and Organizations are deemed successful if the citizens or individuals enjoy prompt effective and efficient services in all dimensions. The enjoyment of such services is the fruit of the effort of the people who would have put this spirit of service into practice.

We are born to serve, The human person becomes fulfilled when he or she lives an intense spirit of service. Virtues like industriousness, humility, meekness, generosity, magnanimity are virtues exercised when one exercises a spirit of service. There should be a burning ambition to make the world a better place with your presence; there should be that loving concern for our fellow human beings. Nothing paralyzes the will as much as selfishness, which is ingrained in human nature. Selfishness and all self-centred tendencies have to be vigorously fought against and eliminated in our character because it is akin to cancer of the soul. Without this lively spirit of service, we may see other people as stepping stones to be used; we develop a sense of “entitlement” and our horizons become narrower and narrower. Just as virtue promotes virtue, unfortunately, vice promotes vice. Vices that can crop up when one allows oneself to be dominated by self-centred tendencies are sloth, great levels of intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts and other negative tendencies all of which mar mental health considerably.

LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR

A neighbour can be broadly defined as someone who lives near us or close to us; that means that our closest neighbours naturally can be our family members and then extended to others. Love resides in the Will; if we can train our intellects to affirm that we are all created in the image and likeness of God, then it will be easy to desire and will the good towards others. That way we can be more tolerant of others, forgive more easily and be more eager to be at the service of others.

Have the habit of desiring the best for others, seeing and serving God in others; That way, it will be easier to forgo our own selfish interests and focus on the well being and interest of others. If we develop the mental habit of praying for others, desiring the best for them, doing good to others at all times, we will contribute a great deal to improving society, our own well being and the well being of others.

Engaging in acts of kindness produce oxytocin (the “bonding hormone”) and endorphins- the brain’s natural painkillers, easing pain and increasing energy; it helps reduce stress, increases self esteem, empathy, and compassion; it also improves the mood. Research shows that perpetually kind people have considerably less stress hormone in them.

Love helps to open wider horizons and vision-making room for ardent desires for self-improvement and self-giving.

THE PAST

The past should be looked upon with a lot of gratitude to God for having granted us the opportunity to accomplish whatever we may have been able to accomplish and also to have been able to learn from our mistakes. The most important time is NOW! Even if one has been enslaved by the weaknesses of human nature for a long time in the past,it is always possible to rectify and turn a new leaf as long as one is alive. We can always begin again to strive for perfection and make the best use of all circumstances to grow in virtues.

FEELINGS AND OBJECTIVITY

Feelings or emotions or passions should be properly controlled so as to help us be the best version of ourselves as rational beings. It is of utmost importance that we remain fully in charge of our actions and not get carried away by feelings which can be fleeting and unpredictable. Feelings should be used to intensify the goodness of our thoughts, words and actions.

Feelings are responsible for attitudes like repugnance, hatred, aversion etc. These can be properly controlled through the will. Uncontrolled passions will lead to bad decisions and actions and consequently, lead to lost opportunities for growth.

CONCLUSION

The human person is unique and unrepeatable-endowed with powers which can be developed and nurtured to growth in the varying circumstances of life. Every event and circumstance of one’s life can be an opportunity for growth depending on one’s formation or outlook in life.

It is worthwhile acquiring the skills that enables one exercise that high level of self-mastery that brings about growth using all circumstances and events of life. The principal skill to acquire is love-the Queen of virtues; indeed love conquers all things. With love in place, will emerge fruits of well being and growth, including mental health flourishing.

Caroline Ademiluyi is a Lagos, Nigeria based Pharmacist.
SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/09/12/opportunities-for-growth-part-2-by-caroline-ademiluyi/

Stacy’s (that was not her real name) lifeless and decomposing body was found in her four-bedroom duplex on the 14th of May, 2020, just a few weeks after she signed the biggest contract in town.



The incident caused an uproar in the neighboring community and all over the country. The 37-year-old IT guru had passed on under mysterious circumstances.



With blood trails around her room, a pen knife, and a slashed wrist, Stacy’s demise was suspected to be a murder case but this was dismissed after the investigating team found a purple leathered journal behind the pillow on the bed in her supposed room.



The content of the diary showed that nobody killed Stacy. At least, maybe not directly…



She committed suicide.



The Content of Stacy’s Handwritten Journal



NB – I rearranged the significant diary notes as chronologically as I could so that everyone can understand. Please take note of the dates.



3rd of May, 2022



I had just finished delivering a presentation to sell my newly launched software program, Spencer to one of the biggest tech companies in the country.



Spencer is not just my first successful personal project, it is a personal information manager software designed to manage tasks and contacts with unique features including calendaring, note-taking, journaling, web surfing, and other features. I must confess, having a hundred and one people applauding me on their feet felt close to fulfillment but it still wasn’t it.



When I finally had a moment to myself away from the hustle and bustle of the yearly software exhibition event, the first thing I looked out for was Tekena’s call.



Sadly, he still hadn’t called. Now, if you know the back story, you would know that I wasn’t supposed to be expecting his call but I did expect it all the same.



We had an argument sometimes back… You already know the story.



***********



26th of March, 2022



Tekena had asked me for some money to get himself the latest Gucci designer shirts in town, “1500 dollars! That’s outrageous! ” I exclaimed.



“Babe, c’mon, it’s not so expensive. Moreover, we both know that you can afford it,” he said, rather nonchalantly,



I stared at him like I had just seen a ghost, I was livid. I had just paid the rent for the 4-bedroom luxury duplex that we both lived in. Just last week, I sent him the equivalent of 1000 dollars in our local currency for his sister’s supposed surgery. I don’t know why but I have a gut feeling that he lied about his sister’s ill health but I still gave him the money all the same. He changed his wardrobe just two months ago, guess who footed the bills?



Me! Yes, me!



As of yesterday, I was close to broke with less than a thousand dollars to my name because I just finished paying for his birthday present, a brand new 2020 model Benz. His birthday was still a few weeks away but I didn’t want to take chances.



Now, he had the guts to ask me for 1500 dollars for a designer shirt!



“I don’t have any money to give you,” I announced, punching on my I-pad without taking a glance at his half-naked frame on my big bed.



“So, you are saying that you can’t help me with just 1500 dollars?”



“Yes,” I answered rather bluntly,



“Okay. Cool. Just don’t flare up when you see me hooking up with some boxed-up girls that can afford my bills.” he answered, turning his back to me to do something I couldn’t see from the chair I was seated.



“You must be crazy for saying that!”



He turned back in a split second, the look on his face seemed like someone who just got the shock of his life.



“You must be mad if you think I will beg you to stay.” I continued, fuming,



By this time he had already sat upright, and for a moment, I thought he was going to say something nasty like he always does or threaten to leave and never come back.



“Stand up, Tekena,” I said, tightening my fist rapidly,



He looked at me with confusion written all over his oblong fair-skinned face but I wasn’t ready to bulge, “Stand up!” I was the one doing the ordering but I involuntarily jumped on my feet at the command meant for Tekena.



“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you fine?” He asked, standing up immediately. I wasn’t sure whether it was out of surprise or out of concern but I cared less.



“Get out of my house!” I added, seething with anger.



“Are you crazy?”



“You are the one that is crazy! You are here in my house, eating my food, sleeping on my bed, spending my money and you stand there like a buffoon to ask me if I’m crazy? No, you are crazy!”



Before he could say jack, I hurried out of the room to call my security. I didn’t follow the security back to the room, I only gave him a strict order to get Tekena out of my house.



“The day he sets his foot in this house, you will take a walk out of my house,” I said those words to my gatekeeper after he successfully bundled Tekena out.



Surprisingly, I felt relieved after the hullabaloo.



I was tired of being threatened, tired of getting bullied to silence… Tired of being the victim as always.



However, it only took me a few hours of sleep to realize what I had done.



I had chased away the only person in my corner. The relationship that I had been tending to for over 7 years had just been flushed down the drain.



I know Tekena is a buffoon, a bully, and an abuser but I had gotten so used to his abuses that It felt like a normal part of my life.



I feel so empty.



*************



5th of April, 2022



It’s been over a week now since I heard from Tekena and I must confess, I miss him… Nothing feels the same since he left.



Trust me, I have called his line severally but it has not been going through… Seemed like he blocked me off or something.



As I walked through my black iron gate and made for the entrance of my ash-painted duplex, I took a glance at the Benz that I got for Tekena. It had arrived in my compound a few days after our brawl but it was just lying there useless.



***************



10th of April, 2022



In just how many weeks, Tekena has moved on to another lady. He even had the guts to post pictures of them on Instagram…



Good riddance!



****************



17th of April, 2022



My mom just called…



You already know what she wants, money as usual.



“Your brother needs some money to buy some books in school, your sister’s uniform is torn and she needs to change it. Even your father…” She reeled without pause,



“Mom! Stop it! I have told you not to call that man my father!” I corrected. At least he seemed to be better than the deadbeat man that happened to be my father but that’s not even the point.



My mom has the habit of coercing me to send money, and some more and so much more on different occasions.



Her current husband wasn’t even my father, he is my stepfather and the brothers and sisters my mom referred to were step-siblings. So, she should just cut the bull crap!



Seems like that is the only thing I’m good enough for… Dashing out money.



That is what she calls me for, that is what everyone wants from me or maybe it’s because that is the only thing I can offer.



******************



5th of May 2022



I just emptied the last round of money that I made from Spencer software to the final of the 10 orphanages I selected.



I sold Tekena’s car too… I donated the 17 million naira proceeds to a charity foundation.



I looked at my account balance… A cumulative amount of 156 dollars was all that was left, “that is my token for the bank” I said with a giggle.



If there is a place called heaven, then, I am gladly going to heaven broke.



Finally, I can rest… If at all, there is any on the other side.



***************



Grace had this to say about Stacy, “She was always full of life, jovial and fun to be with. There is no boring time with Stacy.”



“Stacy is one of my closest friends and associate in the tech establishment which we co-owned, she is the smartest person I know… She just sold Spencer, the biggest software in town. Stacy is a money minting machine that is always ready to churn out intelligent ideas and initiatives,” Timothy reported. He and Stacy co-founded a Tech logistics company.



“No one could have ever guessed that she was bottling up so much on the inside. Such a happy soul” He added with a faint smile.



“She is my best friend, and I must say that I didn’t see this coming. ” Grace added, “Sometimes we would be together with a couple of other friends and then, she would just suddenly ghost out. She would look distant and out of this realm but with a few calls or pats, she would jerk back to the moment and play like there was no problem. I should have suspected that something was wrong, I should have.” She sobbed.



“She always calls to check up on me and ask how I’m faring but somehow I didn’t just think to ask her if she was indeed fine because she didn’t seem like anything less,” Timothy concluded.



When Grace was asked if she knew about Tekena, she said, “That bastard!” She cursed, “he is a good-for-nothing fool, and God will punish him wherever he is. ” She confirmed that Stacy acted like she had gotten over him. “We both celebrated their break apart, she even called it prison break.” She concluded.



Her gateman reported, “Aunty is an easy-going woman, very nice and kind. She can’t hurt a fly. I feel sad say she die. Now, the hunger wey she save me from go waya me taya.” He lamented in Pidgin English.



Seems like even after her death, people wouldn’t stop expecting money from her.



According to hearsays, Tekena has relocated to the US and is probably having the time of his life with some newly found ‘maga’.



Now that the breadwinner is gone, Stacy’s mom would have no one to report her children’s torn uniforms and overdue school fees to. The last I confirmed, Stacy’s step-siblings have not dropped out of school.



Stacy didn’t have to die. Not then, and definitely not that way.



Depression is real, confide in your loved ones (family or not) and seek therapy while you can.



Check up on your friends and family too while they are here. Who knows, you just might be able to save them from snuffing out their own lives.



If we take our mental health seriously and make it a point of duty to reach out to the ones we love, perhaps, we might be able to beat down the outrageous numbers of daily suicide cases worldwide.



Before I forget, Stacy’s gatekeeper got another job as the gateman of a tech company… That sounds like better pay.



I will be closing with this evergreen paraphrased statement, “You might not be able to dictate to people, how they should treat you but can decide on how best to react to it.”



In all that you do, choose life always and say no to suicide!

This story was written to commemorate the world’s suicide day which holds annually on September 10.

Olamide Sodamade is an aspiring Public Health Practitioner, Content Writer and Mental Health Advocate based in Ogun State, Nigeria.

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/09/11/say-no-to-suicide-stacys-journal-by-olamide-sodamade/

Depression is one of the most common medical condition and equally one of the most misunderstood mental illness of our time. It has been attributed different meanings as well as false assumptions. Many don’t know very much about its symptoms or treatment. It is due to this lack of knowledge that lots of people do not seek treatment.

Just to clear the air, depression is not just sadness, it’s a real medically recognized illness, a physiological condition caused by decreased levels of the chemical serotonin in our brains. In simple words, depression is a serious mental disorder characterized by persistent feeling of sadness and a complete loss of interest in activities. Most times, the brain chemistry, function, and structure are negatively affected by environmental and biological factors.

As stated earlier, depression is shrouded by myths and misconceptions. These myths may be the number one factor contributing to the stigma attached to depression, discouraging those affected to talk about their symptoms or seek help and treatment. It is for this reason and more that I will be debunking some myths on the subject matter.

Depression is just a feeling and will fade away with time: It is common sight to see posts like “feeling depressed” on social media or find parents telling their children that the depression is just a phase in life, that will go with time especially when a tragic event has just taken place. First of all, you don’t feel depressed, you suffer from depression, because it’s not a feeling that lurks for few minutes or some days. Second, depression doesn’t just “go away”, it is treated with antidepressants, psychotherapy and medical procedures. Without obtaining treatment, depression can persist for months or even years, or can potentially lead to self-harming behaviours or suicide. It is on record that the symptoms of depression are likely to get worse if left untreated. This is most likely the reason why in 2020, Adeleke Rachel Tioluwani, a Nigerian student, committed suicide after an unsuccessful fight with depression.

Depression is a sign of ingratitude: This one is particularly common in this part of the world. People find it hard to believe that wealthy people, or people with nearly perfect lives can be depressed. “Count your blessings more often”, they say. “If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t be complaining”, or “try to be more grateful,” these are often the “wonderful” pieces of advice that people suffering from depression receive whenever they open up. I can only imagine being in their shoes.

Being cheerful and positive cures depression: Contrary to false belief that once you start hanging out with friends, being positive and going out more, your depression will automatically go away. It’s not as easy as it may seem. As stated earlier, depression is a very serious condition and should be treated as such. The simple truth is that depression is cured with medical treatment like antidepressants and therapy.

Depression is just sadness: A lot of people say “I failed my exam, I’m so depressed” or “I don’t have money, I’m so depressed.” Depression has been, times without number, used interchangeably with sadness but they are so distinct. In the above situations, you are just upset, down, angry or annoyed. Depression, on the other hand, goes way deeper than that.

Even though a prominent symptom of depression is sadness, that is not what it represents in its entirety. Depression is more than feeling sad. It may also involve physical symptoms like fatigue, change in appetite or reduction in the quality of sleep. Depression also involves detachment from life, tiredness, hopelessness, emptiness, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and generally being uninterested in things that once brought you joy.

Depression is cool: A lot of people, mostly celebrities, with Billie Eilish taking the lead, have made depression seem cool. These celebrities are looked upon as “idols” in which many of our younger ones worship. A lot of young people now fake being depressed on social media either to look cool or just to join the bandwagon.

“Trendy” emotional distress on social media is part of many must-follow accounts across all platforms. Our youths and teenagers, have conceived depression to be a personality trait possessed by cool people.

Depression is just an excuse from work : It really boggles my mind that even in the 21st century, people still regard persons suffering from depression as only trying to be lazy or trying to escape work or school. They don’t regard it as enough valid reason to be out of work. Loss of interest in activities is a prominent symptom of depression and should not be misunderstood as a sign of laziness. It should be noted that depression affects many people in a way that they are so fatigued to the point of not being able to finish simple tasks. This should be met with concern rather than contempt because it literally involves a life or death situation.

Mmachi Offurum is a Law Student of the University of Nigeria Nsukka and is resident in Enugu, Nigeria.

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/09/10/demystifying-the-myths-on-depression-by-mmachi-offurum/

May Nigeria not happen to you! What does this popular lingo really mean to non-Nigerians? It simply means that Nigeria can so frustrate you that it greatly limits your ability and desire to have big dreams. Come to think of it if all the technological innovators like Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Late Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison etc were Nigerians, would their inventions have seen the light of day? Wouldn’t they have been advised to study hard, get good grades so that they would be employable in the highly crowded labour market? We all recall the tragically nameless inventor of the yam pounder machine who had to sell his patented invention to the Japanese who then went ahead to make a fortune untold off his brilliant invention. Nigeria is indeed a killer of dreams and destinies which explains why most of her youths would give their arm and leg to relocate abroad or ‘japa’ in their quest for a more meaningful existence and a brighter future for their unborn offspring who may curse them for not making hay while the sun shone in going to faraway lands on economic exile so that they don’t end up at the bottom end of the spectrum struggling ad infinitum for the basic necessities of life.

Despite the near failed state tragic reality of the African Continent’s most populous nation, there exists a sturdy though dying family support network that acts as a bulwark in times of crisis especially economic which explains why the concept of old people’s home is alien as well as the unpopularity of rehabilitation centres for juvenile delinquents since the family system which is the epitome of the Biblical ‘Love thy neighbour as yourself’ supports all classes of disadvantaged and vulnerable people.

I recently read an interview granted by Khadijat Idowu, who was the best graduating student in the Social Work Department for the 2021/2022 academic session with a CGPA of 4.91 which was published in the Nigerian Tribune Newspapers on August 20, 2022.

She admitted that social work as a profession isn’t really recognized in Nigeria and like most disillusioned and emotionally distressed youths is at a loss on what to do with the degree, she so diligently invested in.

Social workers are critical in any society as they intervene fearlessly to help solve societal ills. They work hand in hand with the government and other healthcare stakeholders to ensure that vulnerable people like drug and substance abuse addicts are rehabilitated and made never to go back to the destructive habit, victims of domestic violence are well protected and counselled especially for those who desire to leave the abusive marriage, homeless people are made to live with dignity in homeless shelters and they also influence public policy with regards to the aforementioned issues to the betterment of the society.

Khadijat Idowu mentioned the invasion of the noble profession by quacks and the turning of a blind eye by the complicit and corrupt government to their ignoble activities. How sad!

Times are rapidly changing especially in this current VUCA world where there is a lot of uncertainty and disruptive innovations that have rendered hitherto solid business systems obsolete and a worthy study for economic historians. Who could have imagined the burial of Blackberry for the ascension of WhatsApp for example? There are many professions like digital marketing, social media influencing etc that weren’t present in the 1990’s or even early 2000’s and the reality is that there will be many new professions that will be created in the nearest future that aren’t present or visible now. What is the implication of this? The economic unit of the African family is gradually weakening and the ancient practice of it being a buffer against financial shocks is long gone. Not with the massive youth unemployment which the official statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics puts it at around 33% and under employment hovers at above 50%.

This means more work and relevance for social workers in dealing with the inevitable societal challenges that modern day living and the reality of living in a collapsed economy brings. The government must heavily invest in their training and create the enabling environment through robust public policies and even legislations for them to practice their profession and achieve professional fulfillment. They shouldn’t be relegated to the background and made to feel like nonentities especially in the psychiatric hospitals where their existence is hardly acknowledged as the psychiatrists seem to be the celebrities there.

This narrative against the obscurity of the Nigerian social worker who is akin to the civil servant that is seen and not heard must change for the overall good of our society.

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/09/09/non-recognition-of-the-social-work-profession-in-nigeria-by-tony-ademiluyi/

Contrary to what many Africans think the controversial issue of gay rights and homosexuality is not a western import as it is as old as man irrespective of the continental location. Historical facts allude to the practice being common in some parts of Africa even long before the advent of colonialism which ironically banned the practice with extremely harsh homophobic laws.

What do you make out of the Igbo culture that even exists till today when some women marry their fellow women when there is no male child and want to perpetuate their father’s name? Agreed, a volunteer male is procured to have sexual intercourse with the woman who wants to get pregnant but there is no ruling out of the possibility of sexual relations between both women since they are technically culturally ‘married.’

Even in the West there was a lot of hypocrisy around the subject matter as the practice was underground especially among the nobles and the leading lights of society as well as some members of the Clergy. The persecution of gays was therefore hypocritical as some of the most virulent persecutors of the sexual minorities were themselves heavily steeped in the act. Literary scholars will recall that popular American novelist Oscar Wilde experienced a heavy decline which led to his downfall not because his oeuvres lacked high quality but because he was outed by the media as gay at a time when it was a gargantuan taboo.

As a Christian albeit a nominal one, I stand with the Church in its belief in the propagation of heterosexuality as the only viable means of continued procreation but as a humanist, I totally condemn the killings, maiming, emotional assaults that sexual minorities suffer in the world most especially in Africa which arguably has the highest level of homophobia in the entire world.

South Africa also known as the Rainbow country was the first African country to legalize same-sex marriage largely due to the twin influence of Madiba Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Tutu was famously quoted to have said: “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place,” Archbishop Tutu said at the launch of the Free and Equal campaign in Cape Town.

“I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this.” He likened his campaign for gay rights to his sturdy support against the sinister apartheid and said: “I am as passionate about this campaign as I ever was about apartheid. For me, it is at the same level.”

Despite the same-sex marriage legalization, there is a high level of violence against the gay community there especially the common incidence of corrective rape. Sexual minorities are constantly under attack from the largely homophobic society which is a pointer to the crass unpopularity of the marriage equality law.

In August this year, a Grade 9 student of PJ Simelane Secondary School in South Africa committed suicide over alleged homophobic remarks made about him by his teacher as confirmed by the Department for Education in Gauteng.

The unnamed late student attended the school in Soweto and was allegedly mocked by his teacher in front of the other students for identifying as gay. This occurred during a speech presentation which the teacher in question was said to have made him the butt of cruel jokes before his fellow students. The obviously emotionally traumatized student decided not to return the following day only for the school authorities to discover that he had taken his life at home.

As reported by the southafrican.com: The Department has confirmed that they met with the family of the child and the school since the incident and a thorough investigation into the matter is ongoing. A psychosocial unit has also been deployed.

Spokesperson for the Department Steve Mabona confirmed that the allegations are being investigated and that a report back at a later stage.

“There are allegations which we are ready to continue to investigate as a department. We will make sure we investigate those allegations and report at a later stage on the outcome thereof.”

It is sad that the teacher who ought to know better and act as a father or mother of all chose to inflict emotional injury on the hapless student. The issue of the LGBTQ is rather delicate and so it requires a lot of caution in its handling especially when minors are involved who are still deeply questioning their sexuality.

Everyone whether straight or gay deserves unconditional love in this turbulent world and so the cruel act of the heartless teacher is condemned in its entirety as love is the killer app apologies to the title of a New York Times Best Seller and the greatest force for good on planet earth.

May the soul of the student who sadly died anonymous without a fulfillment of his or her potential rest in peace!

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/09/08/tragic-student-commits-suicide-after-teacher-allegedly-mocked-his-sexuality-by-tony-ademiluyi/

According to Bloomberg, Alma an American based mental health start up which makes it possible for the therapists to manage their practices and contracts with insurers raised $130 million from some venture capitalists and financial backers including Thomas Bravo and Cigna Corps Venture Capital Arm.

This latest fund raising round puts the valuation of the company at about $800 million and is good news for the mental health sector which struggles globally to raise funding as a result of the plethora of misunderstanding and ignorance about mental illness in general.

Coming down to Africa, the flow of funds to the technology sector tends to go towards the Fintech space which has raised well over $6 billion cumulatively with Nigeria accounting for the highest chunk of it. Flutterwave, Africa’s most valuable startup which was co-founded by two Nigerians – the current CEO, Olugbenga Agboola and the pioneer CEO as well as serial entrepreneur who was also an ex CEO of Andela, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji which is valued at $3 billion raised $250 million early this year in Series D funding. Paystack another Fintech exited when American based Stripe acquired them for a whooping $200 million in 2020 which catapulted the founding duo of Ezra Olubi and Shola Akinlade to global fame. Two other Fintechs – Opay and Interswitch are also Unicorns as well. Many Fintechs in other African nations especially in the key countries like South Africa, Egypt and Kenya have seen them raise millions of dollars to scale their highly capital-intensive operations. In terms of funding, the Ed Tech sector comes next as U-Lesson founded by Sim Shagaya who sold Konga to Zinox recently raised $15 million from foreign investors, Gidimo owned by Dr. Tunji Adegbesan got an undisclosed sum in form of a grant from the Chan-Zuckerberg Foundation and other Ed Techs like Prepclass.com and many others have raised millions of dollars from investors.

Unfortunately, at the bottom end of the spectrum in terms of both local and foreign investor funding is the healthcare startups. They are so poorly funded and generally ignored that it makes a mockery of the age-long cliché that ‘health is wealth.’

The lack of attraction of investor funding into the mental health sector space is largely as a result to the lip service being paid by most African nations. The budgetary allocation to the health sector is abysmally low and highly embarrassing. The conditions of service for most health workers are worse than working in sweat shops which makes many of them seek economic solace abroad. Nigeria alone witnessed the exodus of over 6000 medical doctors to the UK not counting other popular destinations like the US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and excluding other healthcare professionals like nurses, radiographers, medical records officers, clinical psychologists, medical social workers etc.

Despite the gradual proliferation of mental health apps in the country, they not only struggle to stay afloat but hardly attract investor funding which may make them tragically have an extremely high mortality rate.

It is a well know fact that public policies aid telemedicine. For instance, it is a gargantuan shame that in Nigerian public psychiatric hospitals, they still carry the files of their patients in the 21st century. Why can’t the operations be totally computerized? Is the management trying to be modern day Luddites merely to give jobs to the boys?

The ratio of psychiatrists to patients globally is extremely low and is worse in Africa making it imperative for the critical intervention of the twin combination of telemedicine which these apps provide which will greatly cut out the waiting time and long distances that these patients have to travel merely to see their doctors and the positive effects of globalization whereby patients from Africa could be exposed to doctors and mental health care experts from the West depending on the focus and reach of the apps.

Africa has come of age for her mental health care startups to be run as a business rather than being viewed within the purview of a beggarly charity which stands the risk of being asphyxiated by donor fatigue.

I heartily look forward to the day when mental health startups in Africa would be able to replicate what their counterparts in the Fintech and Ed Tech sectors are doing by raising millions of dollars as there is the need to greatly improve mental health service delivery in Africa.

To borrow the immortal words of the legendary Rev Martin Luther King Jr, I have a dream that one day mental health startups in Africa would raise hundreds of millions of dollars and that Unicorns would berth among them.

Have a swell weekend and stay safe my dear readers!

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/09/03/great-news-mental-health-start-up-raises-130-million-by-tony-ademiluyi/

Why are men’s mental health shunned, why do Nigerians look at it as a taboo for a man to express his feelings, isn’t it feelings that makes us humans, when did emotions become gender based? They too have a right to expression.



Basically, men’s mental health had be left unattended to, untouched and under researched.



Although some mental health challenges like anxiety, eating disorders are more reported in women, men also experience mental health challenges at concerning rates these days and because they are most times unable to express those emotions so as not to be seen as weak they take to harmful vices like drinking, gambling, drugs, excessive spending, etc. Also, it’s has been reported that men are nearly four times as likely to commit suicide than women; and also use more lethal methods of committing suicide.



By research men tend to engage in dangerous self-destructive activities rather than seeking help like women.

Sometimes they may even go as far as avoiding or delaying treatment because of how they feel the society will view them and also wondering how to reduce their masculinity. Nigerian men most times want to be seen and perceived as strong as well as tough and as men that can withstand the harshest conditions but they should also realise that taking a break and sometimes sharing their burdens and concerns could augur well for their mental health.





People living with mental illness often deal with stigma arising from the society’s misunderstandings about the various mental health disease conditions. The pressure on men seems to be heightened by the societal beliefs, responsibilities and expectations which often make it difficult for them to talk about and seek care.

Men aren’t less of men simply because they have to deal with mental health issues and as such shouldn’t be ashamed of seeking help from reputable and credible mental health experts when necessary. The society also should stop piling needless pressure on men not to show their emotional side as the continued suppression of their feelings greatly represses them and pushes them to the wall which makes them react in most times extremely violent and sometimes tragically fatal ways which isn’t in the best interest of the society as we need our men for a balance.

We recall a popular saying in the US when John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the President where media pundits opined that the male Kennedys were so tough that they did not cry. This narrative should change as it is slowly killing men who aren’t allowed to express their feelings and bottle up their emotions which makes them societal risks at the end of the day.

Please let men cry as the Heavens wouldn’t fall!

Faith Abiodun is an Oyo, Nigeria based Mental Health and Addiction Professional.

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/08/30/reasons-why-mens-mental-health-is-shunned-by-faith-abiodun/

The mention of Namibia conjures up the image of freedom fighting especially under the legendary Sam Nujoma. Despite the great promise that the country had at independence, it has tragically failed to live up to its great potential.

At the moment, it is currently battling a plethora of challenges ranging from massive youth unemployment to insecurity and hyperinflation. Tragically, it has all the indices of a failed state and is tottering on the brink of an imminent collapse if her political elite continue to pay lip service to its plight.

The latest crisis on her hands now is that of the rising cases of suicide especially among her disillusioned and beleaguered youths whose future has sadly been stolen by her selfish and heartless elders who have no iota of shame in pilfering the commonwealth meant for the benefit of all.

According to NewsGhana.com, Namibia’s latest national suicide statistics reveal that 559 people committed suicide between January 2021 and May 2022, with the bulk of the cases being both adult and juvenile males, an official said Wednesday.

The numbers continue to spike despite the southwestern African nation’s suicide prevention task force launched last year to deal with the rising number of suicide cases.

“The national statistics are very concerning, and this is an indication that all of us need to respond to suicidal behaviors. Different interventions with men and boys are strongly required in this case,” said Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services Esther Muinjangue on the occasion of a Khomas Suicide Prevention Taskforce awareness event in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.

According to Muinjangue, the regional suicide statistics from January 2021 to May 2022 showed all 14 regions recorded suicide cases, with the Omusati Region topping the list with 105 incidents, Ohangwena in the second position with 100 cases, and Khomas region coming in third with 80 cases.

It is important to note that the three regions, Omusati, Ohangwena, and Khomas also reported the highest number of suicides from January 2020 to June 2021, she said.

“Based on this, Omusati, Ohangwena, and Khomas regions need to double their efforts in the prevention of suicidal behavior. However, all of us need to join hands in the fight against suicide in our country,” she said.

According to Muinjangue, there also has been a dramatic rise in the frequency and magnitude of suicide and mental health incidents such as emotional, psychological, and social well-being of people in the country recently, threatening large populations living in diverse communities.

“If these trends continue, the costs associated with suicide and negative mental health incidents will continue to increase and place more people at risk,” she said.

“Suicide is 100 percent preventable; Namibia has a low population compared to other countries, and hence the health ministry and the taskforce have prioritized efforts to prevent suicide in the country,” she said, adding that the government and some non-governmental organizations have made provisions for emergency and psychosocial support services where anyone can go for help.

This is an African tragedy of gargantuan proportion as it is an indictment of her inept leadership. This scary statistic should serve as a sturdy call to action for other African countries to rally round her in the spirit of black solidarity and brotherhood in order to stem this ugly tide.

This is the raison d’etre behind the formation of the African Union – mutual aid for African nations and so fellow African countries shouldn’t stand by and watch Namibia’s youths dispatch themselves to their maker sometimes in the most brutal and bizarre of ways.

Namibia should be shown much love in these trying times of theirs as suicide is highly unAfrican and an aberration in the world’s second largest continent which is arguably the warmest when it comes to human relations in the world. Suicide is clearly a departure from the African norm and this trend must be stopped for the overall good of all and in the continent’s best interest before it diffuses to all its nooks and crannies in a manner that would make the Arab Spring look like child’s play.

Namibia must be saved; let all Africans both in the continent and Diaspora spare a thought for her.

Thank God Its Friday; have a swell weekend all!

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/08/26/alarm-namibia-battles-with-high-suicide-cases-by-tony-ademiluyi/

Oxbridge – the popular coinage for the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are the two most prestigious universities in the UK. Cambridge is the younger of the duo but the more funded and it was there that Prince Charles, the heir apparent to the English throne who was the first monarch to be educated outside the palace studied history. His younger brother, Prince Edward also studied history there as well. It has produced the second highest number of British Prime Ministers after Oxford.

Despite its long-standing tradition and intimidating pedigree which saw former world’s richest man, Bill Gates cite a highly prestigious scholarship scheme there, a scandal is currently brewing in the ancient citadel of learning as five students of the institution have died since March this year – one suicide and four others suspected to be suicide cases.

According to the BBC, Prior to the deaths, a review of the university’s mental health services found there were “likely to be significant inefficiencies”.

The university said it had “embarked on a significant programme of change”.

It is not known whether the students who died had used the university’s mental health services.

The BBC has also been contacted by about a dozen current and former students with experience of those services, whose concerns include the “fitness to study” procedure, which can be initiated after somebody tries to kill themselves.

Students said none of the procedure’s panel deciding upon their future studies were mental health specialists, with one student stating they “felt like probation hearings, like I was on trial, talking to complete strangers about stuff I hadn’t properly unpacked with a therapist yet”.

A former student said her overall experience of mental health support left her with the impression that “as far as college were concerned, if I were to die they wanted it to be not on their property”.

“It seemed that no steps were taken to actually look after me, the steps that were taken were to protect the reputation of the college and their liability in case anything were to happen,” she said.

Head of student wellbeing, Natalie Acton, told the BBC the university commissioned a “strategic review” into mental health provision “because we wanted to be really confident that what we were doing was the best we could possibly do for our students”.

A draft final report by external reviewer SUMS Consulting, from September, found that the “current approach is uncoordinated and there is no clarity of purpose or definition of the university’s role, aims or limits in its support for student mental health and wellbeing”.

Its findings included:

Increasing staff and student dissatisfaction with the system, “evidenced by the findings from multiple reviews over the past few years, including this one”
The absence of both a university-wide suicide prevention and response strategy and a central out-of-hours crisis service were “pressing” areas highlighted in previous reviews
The lack of a crisis service “carries significant risk to the university, including of increased incidence of student suicide and near-misses”
“Inadequate” data collection and information sharing, with support being “delivered in silos”
More students are accessing Cambridge University’s mental health services

The university spends £4.5m a year on mental health services, and the review found it was one “of the biggest spenders on student mental health and wellbeing support in the sector”.

“Costs are high and, without a clear plan, will continue to spiral given the projected continuing increase in mental health problems in young people and consequent increase in student demand for support,” the draft report said.

The review said there were “wide variations” of support levels between the university’s 31 colleges, and that “senior tutors, tutors and other college staff with a welfare role are overstretched and are dealing with often significant issues and a high level of demand and risk”.

A student told the BBC that while they felt supported within their own college, “it just isn’t fair that it’s been available for me when it hasn’t been for other students at other colleges within the same university”.

If students self-refer to the University Counselling Service they are seen for up to four sessions then either discharged, directed to group therapy or encouraged to use a charity fund for longer-term therapy.

“However, this is ineffective as many students ‘bounce back’ to UCS (33%) or (anecdotally) move around different sources of provision offered across collegiate university,” the review said.

The review said there was “increasing levels of staff and student dissatisfaction with the current system”

The review found there needed to be a “more cost-effective alternative response to simply providing students with one-to-one counselling” either through UCS or in-house college provision.

“This current approach is ineffective and unsustainable given the forecast increases in levels of need for support and the corresponding growth in costs (and the need for some limit to costs).

“This current approach does not discern between varying levels of student need, is untargeted and is unsustainable.”

Natalie Acton said the university had seen “unprecedented” increases in students coming to Cambridge with mental health problems

In response to the findings of the review, Ms Acton told the BBC: “We have seen unprecedented increases in the numbers of students coming to Cambridge with mental health problems and the numbers accessing our services once they get here, and we really encourage students to come forward.

“We now have a significant programme of reform across the colleges and university to make sure we’re doing everything we possibly can, but that’s a journey. It’s a journey that our students are very much engaged with and we constantly consult our students on this.”

She said as a result of the review they wanted to “make sure that for every student there is a minimum base line of support they can access”.

“In colleges that will include each having an academic who can support them in terms of their wellbeing but they will also have a wellbeing practitioner who will be able to work with them to prevent mental health problems becoming difficult,” she said.

Ms Acton added they were developing training for staff across the university, having a “much stronger relationship” with the local NHS and from October will have an out-of-hours support line to enable staff supporting students in crisis to contact mental health professionals.

This report if found to be true is highly embarrassing and a stain on the reputation of Cambridge. The authorities there need to urgently clean the Augean Stable so that the educational institution would maintain its tradition of being a highly desirable place to learn and acquire knowledge.

The regulatory authority in the UK should also urgently step in and stem the tide of this ugly tide if found to be positive so as to avert further disasters.

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/08/22/university-of-cambridges-mental-health-service-inept-report-by-tony-ademiluyi/

PREAMBLE- GOAL; DEFINITIONS

The Will is the principal power of the human person. Through this vital power, choices are made; these choices go a long way to influence one’s mental health in various ways. A popular adage says “when there is a will, there is a way”. That shows that the Will is very important to the overall functioning of the human person in all the perspectives of human life. In this article, we are going to discuss the role the will has to play in the area of exercises. Through the Intellect, we can gather a lot of information about the benefits of exercising. There are lots of evidences and testimonies regarding the tremendous benefits derived from exercising; strong convictions can be formed and be held on to steadfastly; However it takes the Will to effectively take the necessary corresponding action, based on those convictions. Every thought, word or action are carried through the power of the Will and these can influence in one way or the other, the mental health. In this article, we are going to see how willing and exercising can be of great influence in promoting mental health.

DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this write-up, the Will as a noun can be defined as a Desire, Wish such as A.Disposition, Inclination; B. Appetite, Passion; C. Choice, Determination . It can mean the power of control over one’s actions or emotions , or a Disposition to act according to Principles or Ends.

“Willing”, which is an adjective, can mean-A.Compliant( Favourably Disposed or willing to comply), Inclined(Having a preference, disposition or tendency); Ready( Completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress); B. Cheerfully or eagerly compliant; C. Done, Given, Accepted etc, Freely or Voluntarily.

In other words, being willing is to be ready or eager to do something and not opposed to doing something. A willing person does his or her work Energetically and Enthusiastically. Willingness requires Consenting, being Glad or Happy to be of service, Voluntariness-a power of the will or of motivation to get us to act as willed-of your own free will or design and not forced or compelled. It also needs to be Volitional-with Deliberate Intention.

EXERCISES

An Exercise can be described as “ something performed or practiced in order to develop, improve or display a specific capacity or skill” A life time is thus a splendid opportunity to engage in exercises to acquire a heroic and an ever-increasing Physical, Mental and Spiritual health.

The faculty of the Will therefore has a very important role to play in exercising to continuously improving the overall well being in the physical, mental and spiritual dimension respectively of the human person.

PHYSICAL EXERCISES

Regular physical exercises are greatly beneficial; Aerobic exercises, which tend to be rhythmic, gentle and of longer duration, they improve cardiovascular functioning, decrease the risks of heart disease, lower blood pressure, increase HDL or “good” cholesterol, help to better control blood sugar, improve lung function, decrease resting heart rate and assists in weight management and/or weight loss. Anaerobic exercises, which tend to involve short bursts of High Intensity Activity are also very beneficial for good health, because they strengthen bones, burn fat, reduce risk of disease, fight depression, increase stamina for daily activities, build muscle and maintain muscle mass, which is important for people as they age. Examples of aerobic exercises are walking, dancing, step-climbing, running or jogging, swimming, outdoor cycling; examples of anaerobic exercises are sprinting ,push-ups, squats, High Intensity Interval Training(HIIT), jumping rope bench presses and pull-ups.

MENTAL EXERCISES

Despite the tremendous benefits from exercising the body, it is important to exercise the Brain as well. The Brain is a muscle and needs activity to stay healthy and to preserve cognitive function and memory. Some decline in cognition is normal with age, but there are things you can do to slow down mental decline. The following activities can help to keep the brain sharp:

Dancing and learning new dance steps
Physical exercises increase blood flow to the brain, particularly, that part of the brain responsible for thinking; Physical exercise makes your brain more efficient and adaptive.
Answer questions: Put yourself in situations where you are required to think on your feet- this spurs the formation of new neural connections.
Try something new; learn new skills: If you have mastered a skill, your brain can perform that skill out of habit and is not forced to form those important neural connections- so try new things that require your brain to learn and grow.
Notice the details: Take time to observe the sights and sounds around you and tell others about them. Listen carefully when engaged in talks with people and learn to paint a mental image of what you are told; doing so will help prompt the growth of new cells in the visual, verbal and memory part of the brain.
Reduce stress: Spend time each day de-stressing because stress affects the memory negatively.
Learn and Re-learn: Never stop learning; Consider that life is a continuous learning process. Education and learning helps to prevent early dementia; always get engaged with Books, Seminars, Cooking classes etc.
Listen to Music: This lowers stress levels and the stress hormones that inhibit memory; music also increases positive feelings and improves focus.
Re-decorate: painting a wall, hanging new pictures and effecting small changes in your environment can encourage new cell growth in the brain.
Debate: A healthy debate e.g. regarding sports, politics, business etc forces you to think on your feet and helps to form new neural pathways for the brain.
Making healthy lifestyle choices such as eating healthy, avoiding smoking , moderate intake of alcohol and keeping health issues( such as diabetes and cholesterol) in check are also important for keeping the mind healthy and sharp.


SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

Since the human person is composed of the physical body and a spiritual soul, it is important that the spiritual be well taken care of through exercising with the goal of remaining spiritually fit always.

Spiritual fitness has to do with beliefs and practices that strengthens your connectedness with sources of hope, meaning and purpose. Spiritual fitness relates to our ability to develop core beliefs, highest principles and ultimate values.

Spiritual fitness has it’s foundation on the fact that we have God Almighty as our Father and Creator, Who is Infinitely Merciful and Lovable; Who has given us all the means we need to live holy, fulfilled and happy lives and Who has prepared for us an abode of everlasting bliss after our sorjourn in this life. Spiritual exercises help to bring about spiritual fitness; it is all about making the best use of our faculties to know, love and serve God and living out all the consequences of the relationship with God, which can be summarized as follows:

Be grateful: Be grateful for each day and each moment of the day and strive to love and serve better with each passing moment.
Love and serve others-Share your gifts and talents with others.
Strive to overcome challenges.
Forgive yourself and forgive others.
Strive to grow in virtues or values and live them,
Keep nurturing your relationship with God through Prayer, Spiritual reading and other spiritual exercises.
Do a daily examination of conscience; recognize and accept sins committed. Be truly sorry for them and strive to make amends and be truly contrite; then begin again to live a life of joy and service-working intensely and giving glory to God.
THE ROLE OF THE WILL-OBSTACLES

Every thought, word or action requires the use of the Will. The Will is always operative –positively or negatively. There is no virtue or vice that does not involve the use of the power of the Will.

A number of obstacles can stand in the way of the Will in carrying out the exercises needed to acquire wellness stemming from physical, mental and spiritual fitness. A major obstacle can be sloth or laziness, lack of order and other manifestations of the weaknesses of human nature.

WAY FORWARD/CONCLUSION

The Will must always be put into positive use at all times in order to obtain the goal of physical , mental and spiritual fitness—all of which contribute in no small measure to overall wellness. You must constantly say “No” to the weaknesses of human nature, which may stand in the way of aspiring to this greatly desired goal of overall fitness and consciously Will and do the good and that which is beneficial at all times.

The knowledge concerning the tremendous benefits from the exercises discussed at length should spur you to set your Will to attaining definite and concrete goals. You can start with modest goals and little by little, set higher goals. Do everything to please your Father God- this way you will be humble and this will enable you make greater progress in your endeavours. Discouragement, procrastination, lame justifications etc are all manifestations of pride- the greatest weakness of human nature; with your Will always fixed on the positive, you will easily and constantly surmount all obstacles.

Make it a habit to pray about your daily exercising goals; this will lead to achieving the goal of physical, mental and spiritual wellness and the effort would have been worthwhile.

Caroline Ademiluyi is a Lagos, Nigeria based Pharmacist.

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/08/20/the-power-of-willing-and-exercises-by-caroline-ademiluyi/

In most parts of Africa, when a person has been diagnosed with a mental health challenge, the first port of call for treatment is usually the Church, Mosque or Spiritual Home manned by Native Doctors. Even in the 21st century – the age of supposed enlightenment where information dissemination has been largely democratized, this nauseating ignorance reminiscent of the dark ages still tragically persists.

I wasn’t therefore surprised when a call for the inclusion of spirituality to mental health treatment was made by a Ghanaian student nurse who ironically ought to know better but sadly that is how degenerated the healthcare sector has become in Africa.

As reported by Ghana Web, Student nurse Sarah Kpeli recently encouraged mental health clinics in Ghana to critically look at spiritual factors and include that in their treatment package.

In a chat with SVTV Africa with DJ Nyaami, she said that Ghanaians and Africans alike are highly spiritual and therefore the traditional means mustn’t be discarded in favour of western medicine. She went on to say that mental illnesses that are spiritually based can never be treated with the aid of western medicine and that in some cases it even required some form of rituals for the treatment to be effective.

Sarah Kpeli said: “One thing about health professionals in Ghana is that we tend to leave out the spirituality and focus only on the medication. I believe we should also include the spirituality.

As a native of Nogokpo, she disclosed that the Anlos are prohibited from cheating in their marriages. She said any cheat in the marriage would go insane.

She went on to say: “For someone who comes from my hometown where cheating can cause madness, no amount of medication will bring them back unless they do some rituals. I have seen it happen; not all mental disorders are physical. Some mental health professionals who are spiritualists include the spiritual aspects, and we must consider them too. If they are Muslims, engage their Imams and if they are traditionalists engage their leaders so that it will be a combined effort.”

Coming from a future psychiatric nurse, this is rather unfortunate. It is this sort of mentality that surreptitiously fuels stigmatization and the discrimination of the African mentally challenged. Why can’t mental illness be seen like any other possibly life-long illness similar to diabetes, hypertension and high blood pressure which require medication for life? Even in some cases, some mental health patients are weaned off this medication so what is really the big deal? Why harass them psychologically and add a superstitious dimension as well as twist to their health challenge? How can a student nurse utter such balderdash and gibberish on a live radio show? What happened to censorship by the Ghanaian Broadcasting Commission as this will lead to many patients or custodians of patients to run helter skelter to the so-called spiritual homes in search of elusive cures for their ailments?

Such scientifically unproven assertions shouldn’t be allowed to subsist in the public domain as they are extremely harmful. There should be the separation of faith and medicine just in a similar way that in the West the Church and State have been clearly demarcated.

Medication has been proven to work for mental health ailments. Agreed, it may not cure it but it acts far more effectively than a placebo as it helps to effectively manage the ailment. I am disgusted and shocked that the so-called student nurse can act as a purveyor of darkness in this internet age which purports to forever banish ignorance.

Enough of these needless superstition as a mental health challenge is really not a big deal if the sufferer has the right attitude!

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/08/17/include-spirituality-to-mental-health-treatment-ghanaian-student-nurse-by-tony-ademiluyi/

Prior to the 2020 pandemic where there was a global lockdown due to covid 19, it wasn’t the norm for many employees to work from home. A survey in the UK said that only one out of eight workers worked from home.

However, the advent of the pandemic popularized working from home even after the lockdown was lifted in most parts of the world.

According to the Daily Mail: In what has been the biggest gear shift in employment for decades, today just under half of Britain’s working population – about 13.4 million – have swapped the office to work from their living rooms, kitchens and home studies.

And it is having a serious impact on our mental health, according to the culture guru Malcolm Gladwell. Speaking on the podcast Diary Of A CEO last week, the author of The Tipping Point and Outliers said: ‘It’s very hard to feel necessary when you’re physically disconnected,’ adding that ‘as we face the battle that all organisations are facing now in getting people back into the office, it’s really hard to explain this core psychological truth, which is that we want to have a feeling of belonging and to feel necessary.’

He added: ‘It’s not in your best interest to work at home. I know it’s a hassle to come to the office, but if you’re just sitting in your pyjamas in your bedroom… what have you reduced your life to?’

The remarks sparked a fierce backlash, with critics dismissing his comments as ‘pseudoscience’ and ‘pop psychology’.

But could he have a point?

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, some of Britain’s psychology experts have also raised concerns about what has become, for many, the new normal.

They warn that a ‘starvation of social interaction’, over-use of screens and constant distractions could be having a profound impact on mental wellbeing.

‘Flexible working, a few days at home here and there, is a good thing for many people, but I am increasingly worried about businesses that say there is no longer an office to go to,’ says GP Dr Clare Gerada, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

‘Moments of interaction are crucial for wellbeing – without them, you’ll see more stress and more anxiety because it is very difficult to set boundaries between work and home.’

Meanwhile, clinical neuropsychologist Katharine James says: ‘We need firms to tackle it head on now, to divert a future mental health crisis. I am particularly worried about millennials, who are most affected by work-related isolation and also suffer anxiety and depression more than any other age group.’

Britons have taken to home working with more enthusiasm than most of our European neighbours. A global poll published in February showed the UK has the highest number of remote working days per week in all of Europe, with fewer than 40 per cent of major firms requiring workers to be office-based for at least three days a week. In some ways, it is in their interest. Large companies are expected to save about £55 million per year by cutting back on bricks-and-mortar costs if they adopt home working.



The number of Britons who say they are chronically lonely – feeling significantly lonely most or all of the time – has risen by a quarter since May, according to the charity Campaign To End Loneliness

But at the same time, referrals to mental health specialists have reached record highs, with ten million Britons predicted to develop conditions such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders in the aftermath of the pandemic.

No mental health expert would say this explosion in psychological distress is down to a single factor. All mental illness is complex, often developing as a result of a number of triggers, alongside genetic predisposition.

But they are unequivocal that WFH has worsened one important precursor to mental ill-health, especially in those who are vulnerable: loneliness.

After months home-working I felt anxious about going out

One employee who suffered worsening mental health due to home working is Hannah Hickinbotham, 25, from Cambridge.

When the research assistant finished her master’s degree in March 2020, she couldn’t wait to get stuck in to her new career.

Then Covid hit.

‘I started my first job in September, but it was fully remote, so it was mostly just me at my kitchen table or the desk in my bedroom,’ says Hannah, who lives with her partner, Josh.

‘Within a few months I started becoming more anxious about venturing out. I felt like I didn’t know how to be around other people, or how to act. And there were no distractions from my anxious thoughts.’

In January 2021, Hannah’s GP diagnosed her with anxiety and depression and referred her for psychological therapy. ‘I had this constant feeling of impending doom and feeling like something bad was going to happen,’ she says. ‘I’d become panicky after seeing friends for an hour and feel like I had to go home. I started to shut down and spend most evenings on the sofa. I felt very low and worthless.’

Then the eating disorder she suffered in her late teens started to rear its head again.

‘I started exercising to give myself something to do, but it quickly became obsessional,’ says Hannah, who hosts a podcast about eating disorder recovery called Full Of Beans.

Eventually, antidepressants prescribed by her GP and a new, in-office job helped lift Hannah’s mood.

‘I force myself to cycle in five days a week and try to see friends as much as possible,’ she says.

‘Everyone is different. But for me, being near people is essential for my mental health.’

The number of Britons who say they are chronically lonely – feeling significantly lonely most or all of the time – has risen by a quarter since May, according to the charity Campaign To End Loneliness.

Spokesman Jenny Manchester says that despite Covid restrictions having ended a year ago, ‘we’re still seeing a rise in loneliness, partly because younger people are struggling to make connections while working from home’.

US research conducted before the pandemic found that journalists who worked remotely were 67 per cent more likely to suffer loneliness than those based in an office.

Dr Gerada, who runs a helpline for frazzled GPs struggling with mental illness, has seen this problem first-hand.

Speaking on The Mail on Sunday’s Medical Minefield podcast, she said: ‘I know of many doctors suffering due to the isolation of working from home, and having no boundaries around their work.’

Dr Gerada, who initially qualified as a psychiatrist before moving into general practice 30 years ago, continued: ‘They’d log on at 7am, do a day’s work, then log off at 9pm, with no break, and it becomes demoralising.

‘You’ve got nobody to talk to about cases, and you don’t get the chatter in the coffee breaks, so it is pretty lonely.

‘There was one GP whose chair broke because she sat in it every day for six weeks during the pandemic, except for sleeping. It is a sort of metaphor. The chair broke, but so did her spirit.

‘If you move ten metres from your bedroom to your office, day in day out, you might expect mental health to suffer as a consequence.’

Video calls are no replacement for face-to-face interaction, research has shown.

Last year, communication experts at Stanford University in the US analysed the quality of social interactions on video platform Zoom. Professor Jeremy Bailenson, of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, noted that eye contact on video calls was unnaturally ‘excessive and intense’.

Being forced to watch your on-screen image, and the lack of non-verbal communication such as hand gestures, are what make these conversations feel unnatural and unpleasant, he added.

Other studies have found no difference in feelings of loneliness between older adults who use a lot of digital communication tools and those who use very few. Experts are concerned that spending more time alone at home could increase the risk of developing abnormal levels of anxiety.

‘Initially we were told the office was associated with a risk of getting Covid,’ says Dr Gail Kinman, clinical psychologist and visiting professor of occupational health psychology at Birkbeck University. ‘So many already link the working environment to a potential threat – even subconsciously.

‘In people who are natural worriers, fears grow out of the unknown, so the more time spent avoiding the office the scarier those threats become. The anxiety often extends to elements associated with work. Maybe you convince yourself it’s too risky to get on the Tube or meet a large group of people.’

Anna Albright, a cognitive behavioural therapist working in London, says she is seeing more anxiety now than ever, partly related to increased social isolation.

She adds: ‘People feel threatened, so they stick to their safe space, which is often home. But avoiding the world only perpetuates anxiety and fear.’

In January, a study by University College London researchers found levels of anxiety among Britons was the highest since the third lockdown in January 2021.

Despite these clear psychological harms, more than half of all home workers say that they would quit if forced to go back to the office full-time, according to a poll conducted in October.

‘For a start, people don’t like feeling forced to do something,’ says Dr Kinman. ‘If we’re not being given a choice, we push back.

‘We also like routines, and once we’ve become used to something we find it very hard to break the habit.’

There is some physiological basis for this. Brain-imaging studies show that repeatedly doing the same series of activities triggers the release of chemicals related to a feeling of reward in the brain.

The workplace is often associated with negative emotions such as stress.

Yet being in an office environment might offer some relief from psychological distress.

‘When we go to the office, or another place that isn’t our home, we change our mindset,’ says clinical neuropsychologist Ms James. ‘Our brain puts negative emotions that develop in one environment on pause when we move to another environment. By the time we are reminded of the difficult feelings later on, they are usually less upsetting because we’ve had some separation from them.

‘This is a psychological concept called compartmentalisation, which helps us carry on despite hardships.’

Dr Gerada adds: ‘We have important boundaries between home life and work life – and it’s those boundaries where we shift our identities. For instance, I find it very strange emotionally to be doing consultations, professionally, in my own bedroom. You need to be able to get home, take off your metaphorical white coat and take on a different persona, whether that is mother, girlfriend, husband, wife, whatever.’

There may be other benefits, too. ‘One of the hallmarks of depression is a lack of motivation to do anything,’ says Dr Stella Chan, a clinical psychologist and chair of evidence-based psychological treatment at the University of Reading. ‘This leads to a vicious cycle – patients feel like a failure because they haven’t achieved anything, which makes them more miserable. But studies show that if you challenge people to do the activity they don’t want to do, they get a strong sense of achievement.

‘This increases activity in areas of the brain associated with reward.’



The workplace is often associated with negative emotions such as stress. Yet being in an office environment might offer some relief from psychological distress

Over time, this lifts depressive thoughts and feelings. But she cautions: ‘This only really works if work is a happy place to be in.’

There is also intriguing evidence to suggest that lonely working environments could hamper professional performance. In April, researchers from Columbia University in the US recruited 300 pairs of volunteers and asked them to come up with novel uses for a plastic object.

Half of the volunteers communicated via video call, while the other half did so in person.

BY THE end of the study, the face-to-face pairs had come up with more ideas, of better quality, and took more time to look at the product. The digital participants spent much of their time focusing heavily on the face of the other person on the screen, according to the researchers. And studies of elite chess players have found that in-person competitors use more advanced, demanding moves than those competing digitally.

‘Working from home is invariably linked with online meetings, and this comes at a price,’ says Sir Simon Wessely, professor of psychological medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry.

Experts say the endless distractions of home life are also detrimental to productivity

The quality of interaction between colleagues suffers, resulting in less innovation, creativity, spontaneity and trust between workers, he adds.

Experts say the endless distractions of home life are also detrimental to productivity.

‘Many people think they are good at multi-tasking, but in fact studies show that very few people are,’ says Dr Kinman. ‘Switching from one task to another is very taxing on the brain and it takes a while to regain concentration.

‘Evidence shows doing this frequently can add up to two hours to the working day.

‘People end up under-performing in all the tasks they do, which just adds to the stress.’

But all the experts agree that returning to the office will never be right for everyone.

‘The truth is, there are some people who just don’t like their job, or the company,’ says cognitive behavioural therapist Ms Albright. ‘They get their social life elsewhere and that works for them.’

However, she adds: ‘They are in the minority. Most people’s mental health will benefit from spending more time in the office.’

For those who inevitably have to work from home, take out time to do some exercises, take walks and eat right.

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/08/16/working-from-home-and-its-mental-health-hazards-by-tony-ademiluyi/

I once watched a very interesting Nigerian movie where one minute the husband was all sweet and nice towards his wife; the next minute he was heavily abusive with the wife having to frequently run away from the home only to return back shortly after against all entreaties from friends and family.

It was later discovered that the husband had bipolar disorder which was what made him act like a maniac sometimes. With love and care from his spouse, he was able to stop beating her up and they lived happily ever after as a couple to cut the long story short.

It is very important for couples to be open about their mental health challenges to each other if indeed they have any. As couples, they aren’t supposed to hide anything from each other if their union is to last a lifetime as is the ideal.

However, the stigma of having a mental health challenge especially in Africa makes it a very daunting and herculean task for people with the challenge to be open about it to their partners.

Difficult as it may sound, it is necessary to be open about any mental health challenge to your spouse to avoid any future conflict or misunderstanding that may arise as a result of it.

This is why it is important to marry or date your friend as it is much easier being open about something as private and personal as that to a friend than to a mere familiar stranger. You will be amazed at the level of compassion that would be shown to you if you dare to open up to your partner. The partner who was opened up to may be overwhelmed with the high level of trust and would be eager to want to help the patient live a normal life.

Some tips to opening up may help:

Go straight to the point and avoid beating about the bush. Just come out straight; don’t wait for opinions to be sampled first and then test the waters by gauging their reaction. Just spill it out – You are not a criminal. Its just a health challenge which in most cases its not the fault of the patient and so stop feeling guilty. Go into the history no matter how brief it may be, reveal the symptoms and if you are on medication or not. Just be calm as the worst that can happen is a break up which meant that you weren’t meant to be in the first place.

If you feel super nervous you could go accompanied by a close family member who is respected by your partner or a personal therapist. The most important thing is to be open and not keep anything away from the one you profess to love as being secretive is a form of cheating which may go awry and wouldn’t augur well for the bliss called a relationship.

Best of Luck!

SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/08/15/how-to-open-up-to-your-partner-about-your-mental-health-challenge-by-tony-ademiluyi/

Mental health issues tend to be tragically swept under the carpet in Nigeria especially among the menfolk who are taught a sadistic macho masculinity from a very tender age and are made to suppress things so that they ‘behave like men.’

When these men grow up, they sweep these mental health issues under the carpet over bottles of alcohol and pepper soup all in the bid to appear strong. However, in recent times issues revolving around mental health is being surreptitiously pushed to the fore as suicide cases – a hitherto taboo is now on the fast rise despite its deliberate under reportage by the Nigerian and even African media.

We have seen some popular Nigerian celebrities most notably Tee Billz, estranged husband of popular artiste, Tiwa Savage who once made an attempt on his life which has drawn attention to this topic famously discussed in hushed tones and pushed it to mainstream discourse.

Celebrities in Nigeria – the hitherto ‘Giant’ of Africa have a lot of work to do to use their star power to get issues around suicide unabashedly discussed with the view to de-criminalizing suicide attempts and casting a human face upon it as well as showing more empathy to those suffering from mental health challenges which pushed them to suicide or its attempts in the first place.

Today’s Podcast is the latest talk show on podcast that will soon make its debut and discuss unrestrainedly issues around suicide and ways to prevent it from frequently occurring. It is a brave attempt in a hypocritical and conservative society whose harsh anti-people economic policies that is pushing everyone on the edge to make Nigerians let out what is highly troubling them with the view to drastically decreasing the frightening suicide rates in the country and making the country experience better mental health for the benefit of all.

There is no health without mental health says the pioneer D-G of the World Health Organization and so it is necessary to sturdily support noble mental health initiatives if we are to create a more humane and livable society where love reigns supreme. Love is the killer app goes the title of a New York Times Bestseller and so it is necessary for a gargantuan diffusion of this love in the day to day living of the now bestial Nigerian society – who wouldn’t get depressed with the negative news of kidnapping, insecurity, inflation, massive youth unemployment etc? It is enough to break the heart of a lion and send a tiger to the abyss of depression.

Let the corporate bodies do the needful by financially backing this wonderful initiative so that there can be a long-term sustainability plan. The media is getting more diffused by the day and so we expect more podcasts on this issue to berth as days roll by.

Today’s Show has taken the lead and grabbed the gauntlet; others will soon follow for the overall good of the society!

Well Done to the daring organizers of this proposed wonderful show!
SOURCE: https://africavoiceshq.com/2022/08/11/mental-health-podcast-show-debuts-by-tony-ademiluyi/