Over 7Million People Are Suffering From Depression In Nigeria

Dr Olabode Shabi, Chairman of the Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria, (SFPN) Ekiti Zone, has said that about seven million Nigerians currently suffer stress and depression.

Shabi made this known during a ceremony organised by the Information Chapel of the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ado Ekiti. In a paper titled “’Stress and Depression in Workplace: Strategic approach to management’’ he described stress as an exaggeration of normal physical response to events and life challenges that makes a person feel threatened or upset in some ways.

He added that depression was a common mental health problem that affect 29 million persons in Africa, out of an estimated 322 million people currently affected worldwide.

Dr. Shabi continued identifying major causes of stress in workplace saying there could be ambiguity in the job schedule of workers, career development pressure, poor working environment lack of job security, fear of redundancy and early retirement.

He listed other causes as the struggle to meet unrealistic targets, poor interpersonal relationship with colleagues and superiors in various offices as well as low trust level and lack of problem shared.

He stressed that no human being had absolute immunity from depression under certain circumstances.

Shabi also revealed some of the symptoms of the condition saying it includes persistent sad moods, loss of pleasure in usual activities, feeling of helplessness and guilt.

Others are worthlessness, fatigue or decreased energy, loss of memory and concentration, loss of decision-making capability, poor abstract reasoning, restlessness, irritability, sleep disturbance and loss in appetite or weight.

NAN