By Ovat Abeng
Anambra governor’s wife, Mrs Nonye Soludo, says people going through mental health challenges should be supported and helped to beat the condition and not stigmatize.
Mrs Soludo stated this when she visited Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area of the State to check on the patients who are taking treatments in the facility.
Speaking shortly before touring every section of the hospital, the governor’s wife explained that people fighting mental health challenges are humans and should be supported to defeat the condition.
She noted that the increasing number of people dealing with mental health problems calls for speedy intervention, noting that the homes and larger society have a big role to play in tackling drug use, cultism and other decadent behaviours that can push children and youths into drugs.
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Mrs Soludo also re-echoed her call for reassessment of basic family traditions, including the immediate revival of communal child upbringing model, which seems to have been abandoned, at the detriment of the society.
She also spoke about monitoring early signs of a child’s suspicious behaviour and asked parents to prioritize being close to their children to know when they have derailed.
In her chats with the patients, the governor’s wife urged them to remain strong through their recovery processes, while she encouraged those whose conditions were traced to drug abuse to learn from the results, and help others who are into the same behaviours to change.
She promised that when they have recovered, they will play an important role in healthy living education on the dangers of substance use, using their personal experience.
The governor’s wife was welcome by the leadership and members of Nawfia Community led by the traditional ruler, His Royal Majesty Igwe Daniel Obele, the President General of Nawfia Progressive Union (NPU), Chief Daniel Okoye Okongwu, management of the facility, among others.