Report of Virtual Awareness Sessions on Mental Health for Sustainable Development

As part of its commitment to reducing the prevalence and incidence of anxiety and depression among adults, teenagers and children in Nigeria, the HELP Initiative commenced sensitization meetings with civil society organizations in Nigeria. The virtual awareness seminar sought to among other things, share self-care tips to organizations’ workforce on how they can look after their mental health in this challenging time.

Each session commenced with an anxiety that sought to gauge participants’ anxiety level at present vis-à-vis three weeks before. Judging from the scores participants rated themselves at the beginning of the pandemic in Nigeria and at the time of the seminar, it was found that about 90% of the 42 participants said their anxieties had shot up very high since the lock down and gave the following reasons:

• uncertainties of the time; fear of being infected;
• low confidence in the ability of government to curb the pandemic;
• increase in community transmission;
• being locked down at home with troublesome spouse;
• not getting work done;
• lifting the lock down and the reducing income levels is affecting security situations and a lot of families who depend on daily income are becoming worse off
• the level of awareness in rural population is still low
• with the crash in oil, falling of naira, the possibility of an indefinite suspension, has genuinely increased the worry

While a few who had their anxiety levels drop over the period alluded to the fact that:

• Being at home and taking precautions make them feel more in control
• The emergence of local therapies to manage the pandemic
• Safety precautions give signs of hope
• Just accepting and adapting to the situation by doing something to protect oneself
• I am sure I am not a carrier but one that shares valid information and sensitization on covid 19
• I have adjusted to the new norm of working at home and staying safe
• Seeing opportunities in the lock down

After these responses, self-care tips were shared with participants to manage their stress and anxieties.