Chapter one

Introduction

1.1.             Background to the study

Mental health is very vital in one’s life right from infancy to adulthood. The need to maintain stable and balanced mental health arises due to many changes and disruptions that one encounters, bearing in mind the kind of environment that exists in such a country as Nigeria, whereby there is no surety of anything. As highlighted by Murthy (2017), Stigma further contributes to the great burden of mental morbidity; furthermore, mental health is the fifth biggest contributor to the global burden of disease. Even though it is a key element in health and well-being, mental health has not been given its deserved attention in this part of the world..  Moreover, the World Health Organizarion (WHO) stated that 450 million individuals globally were mentally ill, and 25% of individuals would experience mental illness throughout their lifetime. In a study conducted by UNICEF and Gallup across 21 countries on young adults aged 15 to 24 years, about 1 in 5 young adults stated that they often felt depressed or showed less interest in doing anything, indicating that they were suffering from a mental illness. Even after living with mental illnesses for more than one year, over 80% of individuals failed to receive treatment.

The importance of appreciating the level of awareness on mental health among the youth cannot be overemphasized considering the finding that little or no effort is put forth by the government and other bodies towards ensuring the mental well-being of children and youths. Awareness on mental health can be described as awareness of the attitudes and knowledge regarding mental disorders that facilitate their detection, management, and prevention. The general lack of awareness of the youth on mental health problems limits their capacity to detect such disorders. (Salerno 2016).

There is a high prevalence rate of mental illnesses and poor availability of quality mental health facilities at an affordable cost in Nigeria. Mental illnesses are mainly handled by psychiatrists including consultants, residents, and medical practitioners as well as other specialists such as nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, auxiliaries to mental health, religious clerics, and traditional healers, resulting in the diagnosis and treatment of people suffering from mental illnesses (Khalid et al, 2020). Although there are over 190 million inhabitants in Nigeria, the country has less than 300 psychiatrists, which means there is one psychiatrist to about 700,000 people (1; 700,000). Most of these psychiatrists practice in urban centers, while poor knowledge of the subject among primary health care professionals makes family members attend to those with mental illnesses (The Lancet Global Health, 2020). Campaigns for mental health awareness, which may be undertaken through social media, are one of many alternatives available to deal with mental health disorders due to the lack of awareness regarding the issue. Increased awareness leads to better outcomes in mental health treatment (Clark et al. 2018). Such campaigns for mental health will foster positive attitudes regarding the problem among the youth. Some of the key pillars of raising awareness regarding mental health problems include the traditional media, including radios, televisions, and newspapers. Traditional media is able to reach credible information that makes them play a pivotal role in launching campaigns on mental health within integrated primary care (Sharma, Kilian, Leung, 2014).

Mental health news in the Nigerian press has been limited to date and often lacked sufficient coverage. Several scholars have pointed out that the area of mental health has not received adequate attention in the press and has often been covered as back-page news. For instance, Olayiwola and Oladosu (2021) undertook an analysis of the health-related reporting in four major Nigerian newspapers, including The Guardian, Vanguard, The Nation, and Daily Sun, between 2015 and 2019. They found out that only 51 stories about mental health appeared during this period and out of the 224 editions studied. Additionally, 92% of the mental health stories were reported on the inside pages of the publications, showing a low level of priority by editors. Their findings show that the coverage was based on events without exploring why such ailments occur and how the stigmatization can be lowered (Olayiwola & Oladosu, 2021).

Implications for public perception abound with this trend. In a comprehensive content analysis by Okonkwo et al. (2023), only 8.6% of health-related newspaper articles in Nigeria spoke of mental illness, and most of them had a negative tone about the condition by discussing topics like suicide, violence, and substance use. This kind of presentation is damaging as it propagates stigmatization, which discourages individuals from seeking professional help. As noted in the study, the absence of informative and humane portrayals of mental illness in media contributes to the inadequate comprehension of the problem (Okonkwo et al., 2023).

Systemic problems in mental health care provision in Nigeria compound this problem. For instance, there is an acute shortage of professionals who can provide services. According to the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, there are fewer than 300 psychiatrists available to serve over 200 million Nigerians, falling way below the World Health Organization's recommendation of at least one psychiatrist per 10,000 persons. Other factors include brain drain and lack of governmental investment, but the media have never dwelled on these issues before (AllAfrica, 2024; The Graphic News, 2024).

Notwithstanding, there have been some positive developments. Campaigns related to World Mental Health Day coupled with the influence of public personalities have helped in making some gains in terms of media coverage. In this respect, The Guardian Nigeria reports feature articles that emphasize the need for mental health services raised by health practitioners and the importance of equipping primary health personnel with knowledge about how to deal with mental health patients. All these attempts reflect a slowly emerging trend in the discourse of the media concerning this matter (The Guardian Nigeria, 2024).

These small gains notwithstanding, it has become clear that media discourse in Nigeria has failed to develop sufficiently to help improve the situation with mental issues in the country. It appears that constant and unbiased reporting in terms of mental health matters can contribute greatly to increasing awareness about the problem and helping to solve the issue. To achieve success in these efforts, it becomes critical to focus on improving the quality of the health journalism practice in the country. Thus, it is to this the study centers on Newspaper Coverage Of Mental Issues In Nigeria

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

However, newspaper coverage of mental health in Nigeria is still lacking and quite shallow hence there has been minimal knowledge of mental illnesses in the society. As much as there is an increasing number of people suffering from mental illnesses in the country, there have not been sufficient coverage and sensitivity towards the issue. News on mental illnesses in Nigeria, when it appears, is mostly represented in a way that perpetuates stigmatization against individuals suffering from the problems. Moreover, there is lack of educational content on the complexity of mental health in the media making it difficult for individuals to have an understanding of the issues. Such poor representation and coverage of mental health in the media is attributed to many other challenges such as stigma associated with the issue, lack of professional journalists for mental illnesses and insufficient statistics on mental illnesses. This therefore means that newspaper representation of mental illness will hinder policy formulation and implementation for mental health care provision in the country. It is in consideration of these facts that this study concentrates on Newspaper Coverage Of Mental Issues In Nigeria

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The aim of the research is to look at “Newspaper Coverage of Mental Health Issues in Nigeria.” Other specific aims of the research include:

I.To find out the extent to which newspapers have advocated for and provided education on mental health policy and reform

II.To investigate the role that newspapers play in influencing people’s attitude towards mental health issues and patients

III.To ascertain the challenges that confront journalists in covering mental health news stories

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1) To what extent does the role of advocacy and education in news papers covering issues surrounding mental health awareness and policy changes exist?

2) What is the role that the newspaper plays in influencing the opinion of people regarding mental health and mental illnesses?

3) What are the challenges encountered by journalists in covering issues surrounding mental health in Nigeria?

1.5  SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study is of great value to the educational field as well as to Nigerians at large because the research seeks to explore the effect that mental health has on youth development and counseling. Further more, it is of great value to students and researchers who wish to conduct further studies in this area of interest.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study is restricted to Newspaper Coverage Of Mental Issues In Nigeria

1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.9  DEFINITION OF TERMS

INFORMATION: Information is an abstract idea, and this means that information is anything that has the ability to inform. The very basic definition of information is that it concerns the understanding of things that can be sensed.

MENTAL HEALTH: Our mental health involves our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Our mental well-being influences the way we think, feel, and behave. It is the aspect which determines how we cope with stress and make healthy choices.