Elderly persons in Nigeria are highly depressed – Prof. Oye Gureje

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Health Day, an expert has revealed that the nation’s elderly persons are among the most depressed in the world. Professor Oye Gureje, President of the African Association of Psychiatry and Allied Professions (AAPAP) stated this while speaking at a press to mark this year’s event.

Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration which is “Mental health and older adults”, he decried the plight of the elderly persons in Nigeria and raised alarm over the rising rate of depression among Nigerian elderly demography.

He said some of the causes of depression among elderly persons in Nigeria include poverty, unemployment, social isolation and status loss.

“If they do not know where their next meal is going to come from and they have physical health problems such as diabetes and hypertension, they are more likely to also have an accompanying mental illness because they cannot take care of their treatable problem,” Gureje said.

He added that “The global health survey of the wellbeing of older persons ranked Nigeria in position 85 out of 91 countries. We are in the same group as Gaza Strip and Middle East countries that are war torn. So it is like elderly Nigerians are suffering just as much as elderly people in Gaza strip.”

He therefore enjoined the government to do more for elderly persons in Nigeria.

“It is clear that the country needs to do a lot more for the well-being of its elderly citizens, a section of the population that is rapidly growing in size not just in Nigeria but throughout the developing world,” he said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the world’s population is ageing rapidly and attention should be given to the mental health of older people.

“Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world's older adults is estimated to double from about 11% to 22%. In absolute terms, this is an expected increase from 605 million to 2 billion people over the age of 60. Older people face special physical and mental health challenges which need to be recognized,” WHO said on its website.