Psychiatrists have advocated for better promotion of mental health among people to prevent behaviours that can bring mental illness or disorder in communities.

Speaking during the celebration of World Mental Health Day in Ilorin, Kwara State, the psychiatrists were of the view that some daily habits among people can prevent mental illness, which were said to be on the increase due to prevalent socio-economic situation in the country.

Dr. Makanjuola Bamiso and Dr. (Mrs.) Oluwabunmi Buhari, consultant psychiatrists in the Department of Behavioural Sciences of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Kwara State, spoke on the theme, "Depression: a global crises," during the occasion to mark the day in Ilorin.

"They said some of the thugs that can be done to avoid mental illnesses are good nutrition, good rest, avoiding everyday stress, good retirement plan, living healthy lifestyle, avoiding psychotic substances, learning adaptive ways of coping with normal stress and for government to do more for people by providing employment that will alleaviate poverty and make people self reliant.

Dr. Bamiso, who said that government should not only concentrate on generating revenue, but be more socially responsible, said leadership or governance was not about naira and kobo that was generated.

"Be it in government or various establishments, leaders should know that the led are human beings with emotions. Every worker in Nigeria has extended family dependent on him. They will be in trouble should the person get sacked. Other issues are recent flooding or fire disaster, among others," he said.

The consultant psychiatrist, who said that the day was set aside to draw attention to mental health problems in communities, added that many people do not know that mental illness is very common among people, saying, "we tend to think more of medical disorders like AIDS, malaria, typhoid, among others.

"There are other disorders we don't see or we see but we don't recognise, for example, mental disorders. When somebody is mentally ill, he cannot function well at work, within his family and colleagues. It affects productivity and social network, family stability. That's why we are drawing attention to it," he said.

Dr. Bamiso, who said that mental disorder is treatable, said that relations of mental patients waste money going to religious houses and traditional homes, where he said they would have spent significant amount of money and later came back to the hospital.