Many of the individuals who live among us in our communities, according to a mental health specialist, have mental health issues.
On October 18, 2021, Dr. Yao Mfodwo remarked on the Super Morning Show that “there are a lot of individuals with suits and ties, automobiles, and workplaces who are extremely mentally sick.”
As a result, he dispelled the stereotype that people with mental illnesses are exclusively those who have been abandoned by their family and are living on the streets.
“Let’s dissuade ourselves from this thought that there are some dirty vagrants out there who should be collected off the street; no, mental health patients are right in our houses, they are with us they are in the offices, they are in churches, they are everywhere, ” he said.
His remark was part of a discussion on the Super Morning Show on mental health.
During the event, the CEO/Consultant Psychiatrist of The Brain Clinic Limited in Abokobi warned against stigmatizing mentally retarded people who are discovered on the streets because the bulk of them had been neglected by their family.
He explained that while such individuals may not show visible indications of mental illness, they may exhibit symptoms such as inability to sleep well, lack of appetite, inability to function effectively at work or complete responsibilities as necessary, and so on.
“There’s this misperception that those on the streets that are dirty reflect mental health; that’s actually very wrong. They are right in our houses, they are with us, they are in the offices, they are in churches, they are everywhere,” he said.
“They disrupt work, they don’t perform at work,” he added.
